200 Proposals
by ginchy-amanda
Summary: Luke and Mara's long walk down the aisle.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **200 Proposals

**Author: **ginchy

**Timeline: **AU post TTT, 'Echoes' verse

**Disclaimer: **I don't own this galaxy. That belongs to George and Disney. But I certainly love it and them!

**Summary: **Luke and Mara's long walk down the aisle.

**Notes: **As AU!Mara mentioned in 'Echoes of Always' Luke proposed to her 200 times before they were married. This is that story. You do not have to read EoA to 'get' this (though I'd love it if you would). Romance and sweetness, basically. My speciality. ;)

**The First**  
**Day 1**

_Today a single-cell organism forms from the union of your ovum, or egg, and your partner's sperm. Over the coming months, your daughter or son will develop from this barely visible single cell called a zygote. This beginning is called conception or fertilization.*_

Mara worked hard to catch her breath. She gasped in huge lungfuls, panting in the cool air of her bedroom. She clutched Luke's sweaty shoulder and brushed her lips somewhat carelessly against his neck, feeling his pulse-point as it jumped erratically.

"I love you." His voice was soft and rich in the darkened room and she shivered from the intimacy of his words. He must have mistaken her shiver for her being cold, however, because he felt around blindly for a moment, reaching for the blanket.

"I think it fell on the floor earlier," she murmured, now sleepily content in his arms. The words had barely left her lips when the soft blanket floated down around her, and she let a smile turn her lips upward. It was quiet in the room as their breath began to even out, but even as she found an amazingly comfortable position against Luke, she could still feel the harsh beating of his heart. Her brow furrowed in confusion, but she dismissed it, curling in closer and patting his chest. "I love you, too," she whispered haltingly, those new words still so foreign to her tongue. But maybe he couldn't relax, and that's why his heart still tapped out such a rhythm.

Luke hugged her to him with his arm, the fingers of his hand playing gently through her hair. Even with his rapid heart rate against her cheek she began to doze, the comfort of his hold lulling and soothing her into sleep. The blackness behind her eyes was just darkening into the abyss of sleep when she was tugged out by her name. "Hm?"

"…Nothing, go back to sleep." Luke seemed to realize he had awakened her, and even without seeing his face she could picture his sheepish expression and it now dominated the backs of her eyelids.

" 'S'okay." Mara nuzzled her head into his chest. "I was just-" She cut herself off before she could admit the contentment she found in his arms, but she knew that he knew it anyway. Could read it in the Force, or even just in her body language. It was an open secret, at least to him.

"I just wanted to say that… I mean...I didn't mean to scare you earlier."

Mara shook her head against his chest. Scare her? "The only thing I remember you doing earlier was making me very, very happy," she murmured, her voice thickening as flashes of the earlier encounter replaced his sheepish expression in her mind. Her body tingled in response to the memories.

"So you don't… uh… so you don't remember me whispering in your ear? _Asking_you something?" His fingers twisted into her hair, not hard but with definite nervous pressure.

Mara tried to make her sleepy mind concentrate. She did remember him whispering in her ear. He'd said a lot of…things. Things that made her cheeks hot and her body thrum. Words that he would never utter in the light of day, or anywhere other than the bedroom. Words that were for her ears only. But after awhile, as her body had hurtled toward that perfect moment of completion, she had tuned him out, interested only in the unbelievable pressure and promise of ecstasy that he could bring her as she caressed his naked back.

"It's okay," she said, more awake this time. "We all say strange things during the moment."

Luke let out an amused puff of laughter, the seriousness of the moment breaking a little with her words. "We do?"

"Oh, all the time." She stretched her legs out and pointed her toes, brushing them over the prominent bones of his foot. "I think I might have referred to you as my 'love machine' at one point," she lied, trying to make him laugh.

It worked. He did laugh, and his heart rate seemed to slow back to normal. "That's good because…I didn't want to scare you."

"It would take more than that to scare me, Skywalker." She started to settle against him to go back to sleep. "Wait," she said, eyes opening again. "What did you say that you thought was so scary?"

He was silent again and she was not amused. Using her elbow to rise, she poked it hard into his chest, ignoring his fake cry of pain. She loomed over him and glared. "What?"

She was unprepared for the intimate smile that spread across his face, and the soft hand that reached up to push her hair from her face. There was a look in his darkened eyes that called to her, but also…scared her. "Luke?"

He licked his lips, and seemed nervous. "I told you….I asked you….To marry me."

.

.

Mara Jade didn't do speechless. It wasn't in her makeup. She knew how–and when–to keep quiet. You didn't grow up in the Imperial Palace without learning that. But speechless? That was a new and wholly unpleasant thing. But there she was, still hovering over Luke in her darkened bedroom, the amazing sex they had just had virtually wiped from her mind with those words.

Marry him.

Marry Luke.

It…part of her wanted to say yes. She did love him. Loved him with all her heart, in a way she had never known she could love another person. Loving him was a new and unique emotion in her life. It was unexpected and fragile and something she cherished.

But marriage.

Marriage was…big. Marriage was binding and legal and…babies. Married people had babies. Like Han and Leia. Two babies _at a time_.

Mara's eyes were huge.

And Luke didn't look sheepish. He looked panicked. Extremely panicked. "See? I scared you!" He grasped her face in his hands and rubbed his thumbs over her cheekbones. "It's okay," he soothed, sending out loving vibes through their fledgling bond in the Force. "I would never ask you something that you weren't ready for."

"I…" Mara stopped as her voice croaked. Ready? She was almost positive she would _never_be ready for marriage.

Almost.

"I," she tried again, "I'm just not…Luke. Things are...wonderful."

"They are," he whispered, but she put her finger to his lips to gently shush him.

"But I'm not…I'm not ready to…" She closed her eyes and tried to lower herself to roll away from him, stiffening in his arms. But he wouldn't let her. Had, in fact, anticipated the reaction and tightened his grip. She sighed. "I'm just not ready for that." She didn't have to go into details. He knew.

"I know." He stroked her back until she loosened in his arms again. He continued the slow rubbing of his hand until her body, at least, started to feel somewhat more of the drowsy contentment she had felt earlier.

Her mind wouldn't rest, though. It was now firing on full alert, half-formed thoughts worrying her. She was trying not to dwell on them, but…

"One day you'll be ready," Luke said softly, cutting into her thoughts. "I have faith in that."

She swallowed hard. He had more faith in her than the galaxy had stars. And it humbled her.

"And I'll wait until you're ready," he promised. "I'll wait forever."

She didn't speak, knowing that he didn't need any words. That just her staying in his arms and not running from the bed was enough for him. And eventually his arm stopped moving and grew heavy as he fell asleep.

But Mara stayed awake, his final words scaring her. Intriguing her. And scaring her some more.

A proposal. Mara Jade shook her head. But, in that moment, she knew that her life had just changed in some very important way.

.

.

.

.

_*All pregnancy day by day quotes came from _The Pregnancy Diary_. The exception is the quote on proposal #200 which came from BabyCenter._


	2. Chapter 2

****_.. I want to thank everyone for reading! While there are not 200 chapters to this story, there are a lot of proposals. I hope you'll enjoy. ..  
_

**Chapter 2**

**The Second**  
**Day 17**

_Your baby is now .04 mm long. Two or three babies the size of yours could fit into the space occupied by this printed period: . You may notice that you feel more tired now than you normally do…_

Mara's head lolled back on her couch and she let her heavy eyes close with a sigh. It felt so good to rest. Luke would be home in just a few minutes, she knew, but she wouldn't fall asleep. She was just waiting for him…

After what felt like just a second, but must have been many long minutes due to the sleep taste in her mouth, Mara felt hands cooled from the outside air brush against her forehead. "Hey," Luke murmured, sitting beside her. "You were out like a light."

"You should have let me sleep." He voice was thick but contained no rebuke as she shifted to curl against him, tucking her feet up under her bottom. She absently scratched her cheek against his tunic. "It's the middle of the night." Her eyes closed again.

Luke pulled her close and caressed her arm. He chuckled low in his throat. "Not even close. It's only 1900."

Mara's eyes snapped open. "Only 1900? I could have sworn it was already past 2400…" She yawned widely, not bothering to cover her mouth. "How can I be so tired?"

"That's what I was wondering." Luke kissed her temple. "What were you doing today? Hand to hand combat with every member of the Smugglers' Alliance?"

"Cute. I don't know. Maybe I just didn't sleep well last night." Mara tried to clear her fuzzy brain. Her stomach growled as she caught a whiff of the food in the takeout containers Luke had placed on the table. His cloak was thrown over the chair and he had already hung his belt and saber on the hooks he had installed near the door. Plates and cups were also on the table. "How long have you been here?"

"Just long enough to grab the plates." He nudged her lightly with his shoulder.

She groaned and burrowed closer. "Can't you just…" She lifted her arm and waved it mockingly, pantomiming using the Force. "You know."

Luke laughed. "You really must be tired. How about I just fix you a plate?" He moved to get up, but Mara grabbed his hand.

"No, I'm not that tired," she protested. Luke gave her a dubious look but pulled her up with him. He led her to the table and started opening containers. It was too bright and she used the dial on the wall to lower the lights just slightly before taking her seat. She started to reach for her plate but Luke took her empty one and sat a full plate down in front of her. It was the kind of thing that generally made her protest, but the smell of the food as it passed her nostrils was amazing and suddenly she felt more awake and very hungry. "Thanks."

He grinned. "No problem."

They ate silently for a few minutes, and though Luke had filled the plate for someone with his appetite, she had cleared most of it in a matter of minutes. Her head felt less fuzzy now, and she was finally awake, for the first time all day, really. She had lingered in bed that morning and that was not like her. She had never been one to sleep in, and in fact couldn't think of a time that she had done so while not seriously injured. Luke hadn't stayed over the night before, having left Han and Leia's late in the evening after babysitting the children. The thought perked at her mind to ask him about his family. "How were the kids last night?"

Luke grimaced slightly. "Very loud." He grinned, though, softening the admission. There was a look of pride on his face when he thought of his young niece and nephews that Mara liked to see, even if it made her stomach churn just slightly. "The twins didn't want to go to bed. They don't like their new toddler beds very much. Baby Anakin was a dream, though. Leia said he's at an easy age, but that those don't last very long."

"They have their hands full, that's for sure." Mara finished her plate, and reached out for a box of fried vishi. It was empty. "Is there any left?"

"Here you go." He passed her another container. "I wish you could have come with me. The kids are something else. They're really growing into their personalities now."

Mara pictured the twins as they had looked as infants. Even though Luke had shown her newer holos of them it still seemed like they should be those small babies she had briefly known. As she focused back on Luke she could feel a brief sense of longing from him in the Force. A longing to allow their relationship to be out in the open, to share it with his family and other friends. The familiar knot of worry formed in her stomach and she changed the subject just slightly, hoping to distract him from those thoughts. "And how are Han and Leia? In need of that night out, I suspect."

This time Luke laughed. "Yes. Han was already out the door to the landing pad when I got there. And Leia is great. She looked like her old self last night. I realized that I had gotten used to seeing her pregnant and still expected it. Is that strange? But when I mentioned the possibility of more children to her she laughed and said she was done. No more babies. She preferred being tired or hungry all the time due to running after toddlers rather than pregnancy."

"Neither sounds like a very appealing option." She took the last bite of her dinner, and then looked longingly at the noodles on his plate.

Luke's eyes followed hers and he shook his head. "Speaking of tired and hungry…"

Mara laughed.

.

.

The rest of the evening passed quickly, but by the time they crawled into Mara's bed she felt like she had muddled through another day in the interim. Changing into her nightgown and brushing her teeth had felt like a monumental task. Her bed had never looked more inviting, the sheets cool against her skin as she slid in. Her eyes were heavy again and they closed in contentment only to be jarred open moments later by Luke scooting close and wrapping an arm around her waist. He kissed her neck and pleasant tingles shot through her body. "Night," she whispered.

But he didn't seem to get the hint. His lips traveled up her neck to her ear and he nibbled lightly at the lobe.

She stiffened in his arms. She almost felt like crying. All she wanted was to sleep. She had never turned him down before, however, and it was a bit disconcerting. Turning in his arms she caught his hand and held it to her mouth for a quick, conciliatory kiss. "Night," she said again, with a finality to the word that she knew he would understand.

Things were quiet for a moment as she settled against his chest, finding the warmth of his body heat almost luxurious. He slid his arm down her back. Then patted her bottom.

"You sure?"

So much for understanding, but maybe he was disconcerted, too. Still, Mara growled. "Don't make me send you home, Skywalker."

"Okay, okay," he said, his voice sounding so young that it almost brought a smile to her face. Almost.

He patted her bottom again and fell quiet. She listened to his breath and fell fast into a blissful sleep.

.

.

_"The baby's crying_." What baby? _But the words made sense when Luke said them. The baby. It was crying. There was a baby and it was crying. Mara could hear the cries now that Luke had mentioned them. The baby sounded young. And the cry tugged at her heart like nothing had ever done before…_

Mara sat up in the bed, gasping in air. The apartment was silent, apart from Luke's even breathing. He had turned on his side and his face was smushed against the pillow. She was surprised he hadn't woken when she did, but figured that he must be tired, too. Laying back down, she tried to calm her breath. And wondered why she would be dreaming of babies. She didn't even know any babies, not really. Her eyes closed again. Of course, Luke had told her about his niece and nephews and Leia having been tired. That must be it. She relaxed again.

Luke had said that Leia had been tired when she was pregnant.

Mara's eyes snapped open again. Pregnant? Just then Luke snorted and moved in the bed, turning his head from the pillow to lay on his back. Mara eyed him and absently counted back to her last cycle. Luke had just left to scout out new locations for his Academy should he be unable to regain the Jedi Temple and that had been…

Too many days ago.

Suddenly she felt _very _awake.

.

.

There was no sleep after that. She had counted and recounted the days, finally getting up and finding a calendar on her datapad to make sure. Because surely she had forgotten and it had only been 21 days ago or 26 days ago. Hell, at this moment she would take 30 days because 31 days was just…four days too many.

And after that, calendars were no longer enough. She left Luke sleeping in the bed and went in search of an all night pharmacy. She bought a couple of tests. Never having taken one before she wasn't sure what she should be looking for, but she'd be damned if she would ask any of the droids in the shop.

Now she was looking at the test. It seemed so innocent. _Immediate & Accurate Results! _the package promised. _And as soon as six days before your missed period._ Well, she was four days _late_, apparently, so it should work. But she didn't want to take it. Because she didn't know what she would do if it were positive. She had plenty of thoughts about what to do if—when—it was negative. She would feel a wave of happiness rush over her body and then she would go back to bed and nothing would change. Luke would never know, because she wouldn't want to get his hopes up. She would settle into his arms and sleep peacefully, pregnancy tests and babies a happily dodged blaster-bolt.

"Okay," she muttered to herself. "No more stalling. Come on 'Not Pregnant'." But she was shaking as she said it and shaking as she took the test. Her breath sounded loud in the 'fresher, and she feared she would wake Luke up with how jumbled and chaotic her thoughts were. After finishing with the test she set it down, forcing herself not to look at the results window until she had washed her hands and thoroughly dried them, shaking all the while.

Only after she was done did she allow herself to pick the stick up. It read as she suspected. As she feared.

Pregnant.

.

.

The fresher door slid open and she walked forward into the still darkened bedroom. Luke was as she had left him, oblivious and deeply asleep. She fisted her hands together and pushed out in front of her, punching the air. Her body was in full adrenaline mode, her nerve endings tingling with the same feeling she had felt before a mission. The only release would come upon completion of her duty, and…Mara recoiled from her thoughts. This was a baby, not a mission…a baby.

A baby.

Hot tears streaked down her face, but they were angry tears. She wasn't ready for this. Never this. And Luke was asleep and didn't know—

_He didn't know._

Mara sat on the bed and pulled her knees to her chest. She regarded Luke in the half-light from the landing bay. His face was smooth and free of worry and she could imagine in her mind's eye how his face would contort with happiness over her news. But if she never told him, she could never take it away. She could have a procedure. Time it just right so that Luke would be off on another Jedi trip, and...damn it, she didn't want to have to have these thoughts. She didn't want to think of having a procedure. She didn't want to think of having a baby.

And as much as she could pretend that she could keep this from Luke, she couldn't. It was his baby, too. And she loved him, and _he_would love their baby…

The baby that was growing more and more with each passing moment. She closed her eyes and pictured tiny cells dividing, a piece of her and Luke and realized that she could never harm that. But her fist curled up again because she was angry. Angry at herself. Angry at Luke. Angry at the makers of incompetent repress medications and bottles of Ruge that had led to her finding herself in this position in the first place.

And before she knew it, her fist had arched out and hit Luke right in the bicep.

.

.

He woke with a snort and a start. "Mara?" He blinked those big blue eyes at her in confusion. "What's wrong?"

She could feel him probing her with the Force as he sat up. Apparently the combination of a steely gaze and the chaotic thoughts rolling off her in the Force were enough to freak him out. "Mara?" He reached out a hand to brush her hair from her face. "What's wrong?"

She opened her mouth to speak, and that's when the dam broke. She flew across the bed at him, punching at his chest and shoulders, great, giant sobs breaking from her lips as she continued to strike, never really connecting in her despair.

"Woah!" Luke tried to grab her hands but only succeeded in stopping one. "Mara, what's wrong?" His voice was soft and gentle and it took the fight out of her. He hadn't retaliated. Hadn't used his immeasurable ability with the Force against her, and she just collapsed against his chest.

Her face was buried in his neck as she muttered the words that would now also change his life forever. "I'm pregnant."

She couldn't see his face, but didn't need to, because the backlash of emotion in the Force was almost enough to pry her from his arms. Shock, confusion, and love but overwhelmingly: happiness. "A baby," he whispered. "Mara, really?"

She pulled back from his embrace to look at him. "No, I just woke you up for a Fool's Day Prank. Luke…"

His eyes met hers and she nodded.

She was back in his arms before her mind could even discern the movement. He kept murmuring her name and I love yous. He pushed her back just slightly and tugged up her shirt, placing a warm hand on her belly.

Mara startled back as if shocked. "I…Luke, I…we can't have a baby!"

The words snapped him out of his own joy. His face dipped just slightly and grew concerned. "Mara, I know you're scared…I am, too."

"You're not!" Mara pulled herself from his arms and jumped out of the bed. "You're giddy. You're practically glowing in the Force, Farmboy!"

He didn't deny it. "I'm happy, yes, but scared, too. I don't know much about babies, not really. But we'll learn. Together."

"Learn together?" Mara realized she was becoming unhinged but couldn't stop herself. "Luke, no one knows we're together. You don't even live here. I wanted to kill you less than three years ago. We can't have a baby! We're…_I'm_not ready for this!"

Luke got off the bed and tried to draw her into his arms, but she moved back. He reached out for her hand instead. "We'll get ready for our baby together. I'll be there with you every step of the way. And after we get married—"

"Married?" Mara screeched.

Luke got down on his knee in front of her and her eyes widened. "No! Oh no! You said … Skywalker you said you wouldn't do that until I was ready!"

Earnest eyes met hers. "I did say that, but Mara… we're having a baby. Will you**—**"

"You knocked me up; you haven't changed my mind!"

Apparently nothing could take the enormous grin off Luke's face, not even a botched proposal. He didn't even react to the comment, except to move across the floor on his knees to wrap his arms around her waist. He lifted her shirt again and rubbed his stubble roughened cheek against her stomach before kissing it lightly. Leaning his head back, he grinned up at her. "We're having a baby." He said it as if it were at once a precious secret and also the best, most exciting news in the galaxy.

And looking down into his face, Mara felt a fission of something else pass through her body. A different kind of tingle, similar to fear but perhaps even more frightening.

A baby.

They were having a baby. A child. A piece of both of them that would one day be its own person. And it was scary, but from Luke she could feel something wonderful…

She lifted her hands and ran her fingers through his hair and wondered where the hell they would go from here.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

**The Third**  
**Day 24**

_By the end of this month, your baby will have completed a period of growth that involves the greatest size and physical changes of its lifetime. In five days, it will be 10,000 times larger than the fertilized egg though, in actuality, not much bigger than a grain of rice! You may have noticed that you're experiencing some of the same emotions that often precede menstruation: moodiness, irritability, tearfulness…_

Mara trudged home from an Alliance meeting tired, hungry, and annoyed. She rode the turbolift to her floor and stepped off into the hall, brushing past a crowd of Bothans that had recently taken up residence. As she got closer to her apartment door she could feel the light of Luke's presence and pictured the grin that she knew would still be on his face. The grin that hadn't left his face in seven long days, since she had told him of her pregnancy.

She wasn't sure how he had managed to keep their secret under wraps, but he had. She should have known that he would be able to. After all, he had kept their relationship a secret for over a year. But the promise of a child seemed too big a secret to keep, especially from Leia and Han. And this secret came with a definite expiration date, but Mara kept pushing that thought from her mind. There was too much to think about and all it did was serve to make her more tired. Grouchier.

But still, even as annoyed as Luke's euphoria could make her, it still touched a part of her deep inside. He would be an excellent father. She could not have chosen a better man to be a partner, a lover, a father to her child. The only problem was that up until seven days ago she had had no interest in making him a father, not now or ever, really. Their lives were too complicated, the least of those complications telling Junior the story of just how mom and dad met.

Mara sighed and stopped in front of her door. Her brain hurt from all of these thoughts. She needed to forget about the baby and huge decisions for the night. What she really wanted was a stiff drink, but that was definitely off the menu. She scowled with the thought and stepped inside the door, eyes narrowing at the half-lighting of the room. "Luke?" Delicious scents were wafting from the kitchen and her mouth watered. So far she'd been lucky enough to dodge morning sickness and planned to eat every bite while she still could.

He stuck his head out from the kitchen. "You're home!" He came out to greet her, and sure enough the large grin was still attached to his handsome face. "I missed you." He pulled her into a kiss and she went willingly, the sheer happiness he was radiating in the Force helping to ease her grouchiness. A little, at least.

"I was only gone a couple of hours, Farmboy." Pulling back from his embrace she eyed the straight lines of his tunic. "Why are you so dressed up?" This tunic was black, but more formal than his usual style, impeccably cut. It emphasized his broad shoulders and tapered waist and suddenly Mara felt slightly underdressed in her leggings and belted tunic.

"Hm?" Luke looked down at himself. "Oh, just something different," he said, pulling her further into the apartment. "Besides, I made dinner for you and thought I'd make an effort to clean myself up a bit."

"Okay." Mara looked at her dining table and noted that actual candlesticks were set out, their tips gently blazing. Two formal place settings were also set out. She turned back to Luke, gnawing suspicion sharing space with the fetus in her belly. "Skywalker…"

Luke rolled his eyes. "I can't make dinner for the mother of my child?"

Mara made a face at that description. But her growling stomach betrayed her. "Depends on what you made."

He stole a kiss. "Smart woman. Baked flatbread, ribenes, and russets."

"You can make me dinner anytime."

Luke liked that answer and gave her a kiss on the forehead in gratitude. He ushered her toward the table. "There's some non-alcoholic spritzer on the table."

Mara made her way to the table and picked the bottle up, making a face at it. "He's thought of everything," she murmured, reassuring herself in her mind that she was not talking to the baby. She wasn't ready for that yet. She wasn't sure that she would ever be ready for that. Beyond the lethargy, hunger, and a missed cycle, nothing really signaled the fact that a baby was being created in her womb. It was disconcerting to know that she was pregnant but to have so little proof. She had examined her stomach in the mirror only to find it as flat as ever. In fact, had she not taken the test, she would have just continued to believe she was just overworking herself and tired. Part of her wished that she had waited. That she still had a few more days of blissful ignorance.

At the total opposite end of that spectrum was Luke. He had already downloaded information guides and a day-by-day calendar to pregnancy. She had the feeling that he would have shared them with her datapad, but didn't want to freak her out more than she already was. He had somehow ended up with flimsy brochures for obstetricians, and had helpfully placed them on her bedside table, where they remained, untouched. She would go to the doctor soon enough. But there again, Mara knew she couldn't put anything off too long. Decisions would have to be made, and sooner, in this case, rather than later.

Two of her best goblets sat on the table and she filled them with the spritzer, the candlelight flickering off the glasses. The worry that he was going to propose to her popped back into the forefront of her mind. Because, really, what else could this set-up be? And he knew that she knew that. He was too smart to think he was pulling one over on her. But just because she was now pregnant didn't mean her thoughts on marriage had changed. It was still a terrifying prospect...even more so now.

She didn't have time to fall further into panic. Luke chose that moment to enter the room with their plates. He sat hers in front of her with a smile and then sat across from her. She opened her mouth to cut him off at the pass, but he picked up his fork and started eating. Mara's eyes narrowed as she waited for the catch, but he didn't take a moment to stare deeply into her eyes, or slide himself off his chair and come to kneel in front of her on one knee.

Stopping in mid-chew he looked up to watch her watching him. A half-smile appeared on his face, but he tamped it down and finished his bite. He swallowed. "Aren't you going to eat? The sauce is just the way you like it: spicy but not overwhelming."

Still, Mara was looking for the catch. She even reached out across that ever expanding bond that had formed between them in the days after the events on Wayland, but nothing presented itself other than the usual combination of his love and care for her. "You're hiding it well, Skywalker," she muttered, but picked up her fork and took a bite.

He gave her a 'who, me?' look that he must have stolen from Han. "I don't know what you mean."

She meant to roll her eyes at him but the spice on the ribenes _was_perfectly done just the way she liked it, and the meat was tender, falling right off the bone and into her mouth. "This is good." She didn't mean to sound so grudging in her admittance, but damn it, she knew what this dinner was about and it was driving her mad that he didn't just cut to the chase.

"It is good," he agreed, and something in the way he said it let her know that he didn't just mean the food.

She let the comment slide in favor of dipping her flatbread into the ribene sauce. "Very good." She took a healthy bite and eyed him as he methodically finished the food on his plate. And if she was honest with herself, she wasn't just talking about the food either. And he knew it. Damn the man. She cast about for a safe subject to discuss. "Did you make dessert, too?" She grimaced. After a dinner this big she shouldn't eat dessert. She would have to spend extra time in the gym to work it off…Mara trailed off in her own mind.

Oh.

Luke didn't notice her momentary disquiet. "I didn't make it," he said, in reference to the dessert. "Bought it at that bakery Leia found in the new commerce district." He took a drink of his spritzer, managing to look as if he enjoyed the taste. "Frosted Drizzle-Spun Chocolate Cake."

Mara's mouth immediately watered, even though she had been starting to feel full of the delicious meal he had cooked. They both shared a weakness for chocolate, though he often liked his in the form of that hot-chocolate drink that was hard to come by, even on Coruscant. "Sounds good." And it did. She was beginning to relax somewhat, the food, candlelight, and lack of an engagement ring lulling her into what was probably a false sense of security.

"I'll go and cut us a slice, then." He took her plate and his and headed into the kitchen. She listened to him putter around, opening cabinets and emptying the plates into the recycler. He knew her kitchen better than she did, not that she minded. He often cooked for them on nights when they had the time and hadn't ordered in. He returned with the cake and placed a generous slice in front of her.

She half-smiled her thanks at him and dug in, the rich chocolate exploding over her tongue and relaxing her even further. She couldn't help a slight moan of approval, and looked up to see Luke smiling at her. He'd moved his chair next to hers and she was instantly back on guard.

"You look like you just saw a Sith," he teased, reaching out to rub at her lip. "Bit of chocolate," he said, explaining his move.

Mara's heart raced as she anticipated a ring or some show of marital intent. But he just smiled that gentle smile at her and went back to eating his cake.

Mara looked around. Was this it? Did he not have some grand master scheme of proposal? She took another bite of the amazing cake and considered him. He looked handsome in the flattering glow from the candles, his hair a bright contrast to the shadows at his cheeks from the play of light. She found herself idly wondering if the baby would have his cheekbones and swallowed her next bite with a bit of difficulty.

The baby had cheekbones. At least, it would have cheekbones at some point. Some point very soon.

Luke seemed to sense her unstated sudden panic. "Mara?" He reached out for her hand. "What is it, love?"

"Cheekbones," she muttered faintly.

"What?"

"…I…" She shook her head and blinked her suddenly damp eyes hard. "I think I just realized that this pregnancy is going to result in a real, live baby."

"That's usually the way of it."

"I like it when you try to be sarcastic." She took a deep breath and another bite of cake, chewing slowly as she was struck by just how _normal_ everything was, her hormonally induced tears excepted. Before the pregnancy, this is how they spent their evenings. The precious nights they could carve out to be together. Things had become comfortable for them. Good, like Luke had said earlier. _Better_than good. It had become something she never expected. It was love and she… loved it.

Loved him.

"I have a gift for you." His face betrayed no sign of nervousness. In fact, he was grinning as he held out a box to her. A box too big to be a ring box. "Well, it's for you and the baby."

Cheekbones and a first gift. The kid was having quite a day. Mara reached hesitantly for it and held it gingerly.

"No Sith in there, either," Luke teased.

Mara rolled her eyes, and opened the box. She pulled out a baby rattle. "Oh." She shook it lightly. "Baby's first toy." She shook it a little harder and frowned as something rattled inside of it that sounded out of place. She pulled it closer for inspection. "Is there something—" Her heart stopped as she realized just what was inside of the rattle. But by then it was too late, and Luke was kneeling at her feet. She turned the rattle and saw a ring inside the bauble. "You got me," she whispered.

"Not yet." His own voice was hoarse. "Mara…" He took her hand in his, and kissed it. "You're cold…I wish this didn't scare you so badly."

She had nothing to say. He knew her past. She put the rattle down to look into his eyes.

Those eyes were burning with earnest need. And love. Always love. "I know I said I would wait forever. And that's still true. But I can't…I can't not ask you to be my wife when you're pregnant. With our baby. _Our_baby, Mara. I love you. I already love our baby. And I want you to be my wife. Mara—" He took the rattle and popped open the bauble, removing the ring. "Marry me?" His voice was barely a whisper.

She had thought that her mind would race with terrifying thoughts and 'what-if's at this moment, but it didn't. In fact, her mind was almost blank. The surreal events of the past week were suddenly not so much pressing on her, but rather surrounding her, enveloping her instead of engulfing her—much like his love. The love that had helped her to forge a new way of life, and that had made their baby. She knew then that her protests and worries over marriage were rooted in fear, of her past and an unknown future. And she would not let her child's future be dictated by that fear. Given all of that, her answer wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. "Yes," she murmured.

Luke's eyes and sense in the Force lit up. "Yes?"

She laughed, and swiped her thumb over his lower lip. "Yes."

He pulled her into a kiss, dragging her from her chair to sit on the floor with him. The kiss lingered softly, their bond awake and alive, crackling with their combined emotion.

She pulled away and let him slip his ring onto her finger. "It'll be our daughter's, one day," he said quietly.

"Daughter?" Cheekbones were insignificant to the baby having a gender. "We'll see."

He grinned. "Yes." He kissed her forehead. "So…now we can tell everyone we're a couple, right?"

Mara huffed an amused laugh. "Yes."

"And start planning for the baby."

She nodded.

"And start making wedding plans."

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Um…"

Luke took a breath and turned to her. His face was so close that she could only fuzzily make out his features. "'Um'?" he echoed.

"Well, it's just...you said you'd wait forever, and...I don't want to get married while I'm pregnant. That's hardly waiting forever."

He pulled back so she could see his pursed lips and questioning gaze. "I see…" But after a moment his grin was back, full force. "Okay."

Mara frowned. "Okay?"

He nodded.

And again, she was left to look for the catch. Because somehow, in the blue depths of his eyes, it seemed almost that he had taken her marital condition….as a challenge.


	4. Chapter 4

**Note: **You'll notice that we jump from the third proposal to the twenty-ninth. I totally realize this is probably cheating, but if I had to actually write all two-hundred proposals, well, let's just say it probably wouldn't have happened. ;) And it would probably get really boring, really quickly! So from here on out there are random proposals on different days, each highlighting a moment on the way to the altar. I hope you'll enjoy and thanks so much for reading!

**The Twenty-Ninth**  
**Day 51:**

_You may begin to notice your clothing becoming tighter around the waist and bustline as your body changes and your baby grows. Are you showing yet?_

When Luke Skywalker set his mind to something, he gave it his all. Twenty-six days had passed since she had said yes to his marriage proposal with a proposal of her own: that they wait until after the baby came to plan a wedding. She'd thought he had taken her stipulation as a challenge and she was right. The very next morning he had awakened her with a kiss and another proposal before surprising her with a cup of de-caf that actually tasted like the real thing. But even her favorite beverage hadn't been enough to sway her, so her answer had still been yes, just 'not now'.

He did not seem concerned, however, or even put out. She suspected it was because he could feel how much she really did love him, and therefore wasn't worried. Instead _she_became the worried one, but only because bridal flimsies had shown up on her nightstand, next to the ones for obstetrician offices. Mara picked one up and rolled her eyes at the blushing bride pictured, shown wearing a ridiculous white dress. She tossed them all, unopened, into the recycling container.

But she had finally taken the time to look through the ones concerning obstetricians. Merely eating healthy and taking vitamins wouldn't sustain the baby forever. It needed to be checked by a doctor, and sooner rather than later. After much discussion she and Luke found a practice that had been set up near the Palace and found that the doctor was trustworthy, not someone who would sell their news to the highest bidder. The appointment had eased Luke's worries, and Mara's too, as the baby—one baby, thankfully—was growing well and seemed healthy and robust.

After the appointment Luke had taken the holo they'd received of the first prenatal-scan and watched it on repeat. There wasn't much to see. The baby was still mostly a small cluster of cells, but one could almost make out a head and stumps for the arms and legs. The heartbeat was the main attraction of the holo, the steady and fast _thumpa-thumpa-thumpa _hypnotic and amazing. Taking her hand in his as they watched, Luke had leaned his forehead against hers and whispered, "Marry me," into her temple. And as her eyes watched their baby's beating heart, she didn't exactly turn him down. She had responded with a simple, "I am."

Yet every morning, he had awakened her with another proposal, and this morning had been no different. Her eyes had barely blinked open when she saw Luke's wide blue eyes staring at her. She rolled her own eyes in greeting; she knew what was coming. But a grin only spread across his face in reaction and she put her hand over his mouth to cover it. "Too early for that." Her voice was husky from sleep, and she cleared her throat. He kissed her palm and she shivered.

"Too early for _that_?" he asked against her hand.

She shook her head, but smiled exasperatedly at him. "I think you've already done enough of _that_, and look where it's gotten us." Removing her hand, she traced his lips with her fingers.

His hand snaked between their bodies to splay against her belly. "'l'll take the blame." He rubbed tiny circles over the small raised patch just below her navel. To anyone else, and under Mara's clothes, it was invisible. It had only become evident over the past few days, and Luke couldn't keep his hands off of it, the small bump that held their baby. While the idea of her burgeoning belly thrilled Luke, the idea of it still scared Mara. The reality of the baby was becoming more tangible with each passing day.

Flopping her head on the pillow, Mara threw her arm over her eyes to hide from the sunlight creeping across the bed. "You'll take the blame. That's good. Unless the little chat you arranged at your sister's for tonight has been cancelled?" Mentally, she crossed her fingers. Maybe Leia had been called away on a diplomatic crisis. Perhaps Thrawn had been resurrected somewhere. That would certainly tie up Luke and the Solos for a few weeks. The Force owed her a small favor, at the very least.

That last thought broadcast over their bond, and Luke chuckled next to her. "Come on, Leia's not nearly so scary as a Grand Admiral."

Mara removed her arm and turned her head to glare at him. But his damnable smile only grew.

"Well, I know of one way you could make her happier," he said, picking up her hand and rubbing her bare fourth finger. Her ring was on the nightstand, and he reached over her to grab it. She was careful not to wear it in public yet.

This time Mara did roll her eyes. "So we've come to that portion of our morning, have we?"

Luke placed the ring back on her finger and kissed her hand. "Marry me, Mara."

"Later." She forced herself to sit up and started to leave the bed. "What's for break—" She found herself cut off as strong arms wrapped around her.

"One day you'll marry me," Luke whispered hotly into her ear.

She shivered again, gooseflesh rising in his wake. But she pulled from his arms and gave him an impish grin. " 'One day'. _Now_you're getting it, Farmboy. Come on," she said, grabbing his hand. "You can fix us breakfast."

Us. The word stuttered through her mind, as she realized that was the first time she had thought of herself and the baby that way.

Mara frowned. Yes, a Grand Admiral was definitely easier to deal with than all of this.

.  
.

Mara tried not to squirm as she stood in the lift to Han and Leia's floor. She wasn't so much nervous as she was uncomfortable. She tugged at the fabric of her trousers and frowned down at them. They were her loosest pair, and even they were now tighter than usual. The shirt was thankfully one that draped gracefully over her midsection, meant to be voluminous. But she still couldn't understand how such a tiny bulge could make her clothing feel so tight, already.

Luke seemed to sense her unease, because he reached out and took her hand. He gave it a single squeeze before letting it drop back to her side as the lift stopped and the doors opened. "Ready?" He reached up, running the hand through his hair and Mara realized that he was nervous, too.

She wanted to assuage his worries. Truthfully, in the deepest part of her mind, she knew that everything would be fine. Han and Leia and some of Luke's other friends might be hurt that they hadn't known the truth of their relationship, but the baby, while a shock, would be a balm to soothe any ruffled feathers. And they had never set out to hide their relationship. The first time they'd had sex wasn't planned, and hadn't really been anything Mara wished to discuss afterward. But Luke had pressed his advantage, and eventually they had fallen into a pattern of being together. It had helped that Luke was often away from Coruscant, planning his Academy and helping the New Republic. She, too, still worked for Karrde, even if her home base was with the Smugglers' Alliance. Slowly, over the course of a year they had fallen in love, and now…

Well, now it was time to face the music. "Where's that Grand Admiral when you need him, Skywalker?" She smirked at him and nudged him through their still new and seemingly ever-expanding bond in the Force.

He laughed lightly, and his presence felt lighter as he released his anxiety.

"Hopefully nowhere near," he said, placing a hand on the small of her back to guide her to the door. "After you," he said off her look, palming the controls for secure entry.

Mara looked back and rolled her eyes, but Luke's unrepentant grin didn't falter. And in any case, he won no victory. The entry hall was deserted. She gave him a triumphant look of her own, and stalked forward.

"Must be putting the kids down," Luke mused. "I wonder if—hey, Chewie."

Chewbacca was heading into the kitchen from the dining area and growled a welcome. [The children are protesting bedtime.] He barred his Wookiee fangs in a grin. [Han is trying to wrangle them into their bed clothes.]

"And you're not helping?" Luke's voice was amused as they followed him into the kitchen.

[My debt runs only so deep.]

Mara smiled outwardly, but in her mind was mildly panicked. She found herself wondering just how to keep a Force sensitive child in a bedroom they didn't want to be in. "Are they like this every night?" The question was asked before she could stop herself.

[Not every night,] Chewie answered, after a split second of thought. [But enough of them to drive Han crazy.]

_What about Leia?_Mara wondered. But she didn't have time to dwell on that thought as Leia herself came out into the kitchen, smoothing her hair back from her face.

She smiled and hugged Luke, leaving a slim arm around him as she turned her smile politely to Mara. Tilting her head up, she gave her attention back to Luke. "I was glad to get your comm. We haven't seen much of you lately." She pecked his cheek and looked back to Mara. "It's nice to see you again, too. I can't remember the last time we spoke."

Mara smiled faintly. "Not since the Alliance moved headquarters to its permanent suite." The Smugglers' Alliance had kept her mostly grounded on Coruscant in the months after Thrawn's unsuccessful campaign, and she had often run into Leia in the corridors of the Imperial Palace. Leia always found time to stop and exchange pleasantries, to give updates on the twins and inquire as to how Mara was. But in the months before and since Anakin's birth they hadn't crossed paths nearly as often. Mara had resumed her duties on the _Wild Karrde_and her time on Coruscant had been limited or taken up by other…activities.

"Do you find it easier to liaise now that you've had some time to settle in to the position?"

Leia seemed genuinely interested and Mara glanced between Luke and his sister as they stared at her, awaiting her answer. They were more alike than they even realized. "Let's just say that sometimes I think running the senate would be an easier prospect."

Leia grinned. "Let me disabuse you of that notion. In terms of the senate, sometimes dealing with cranky two-year-old twins is easier."

"Says the woman that left me to finish the bedtime routine," Han groused, walking into the room and throwing his signature lopsided smile at his wife. "Say, Junior, can't you go and use some of that," Han moved his hands around his head in mocking fashion, "to put the kids to sleep? This toddler bed switch hasn't gone over so well."

Leia let Luke go and poked her husband in the side. "No, he can't."

Chewie wuffed a laugh. [She means that she already tried and it didn't work.]

Han pointed his index finger at Chewie and pantomimed firing a blaster. "I think you're right, pal."

Luke laughed and even Mara tamped down a smile, but the twisting of nervous energy in her stomach wasn't abated by the Solo/Wookiee comedy routine.

"And besides, I didn't leave you to finish bedtime routine as much as I was kicked out," Leia said, picking up the earlier thread of conversation. "The twins like to have their father to themselves at night," she explained to Luke and Mara. "And I had to check on Anakin."

"Yeah, still sleeps like an angel. Here's a tip, Kid." He mock-punched Luke in the shoulder. "If you ever have kids, keep them in the crib as long as possible." He slung himself down in a chair. "Let's stay in here awhile, let the ankle biters calm down before we head out into the den."

Chewie was agreeable to that and sat down in another chair, while Leia gave her husband an eye-roll. "Honestly, Han. Ankle biters?"

"I'm sorry, Junior Senate Leaders?"

Even Leia smiled at that one, but turned to Luke. "Help me with the cake?"

"You got cake?" He moved over to the counter with her and pulled a few plates from a cabinet. Mara watched them with a distracted interest, more to keep from sitting down at the table with Han and Chewie than out of any real interest in what they were doing. The cake that Leia pulled from the bakery box did look delicious, however.

"You said that you wanted to come over and talk to us, and that you were bringing Mara. I thought dessert would be nice."

"Have a seat, Mara." Han used his foot to push a chair out from the opposite end of the table.

She eyed the chair. "Charming." But she sat and accepted a plate of cake and a mug of what she suspected was hot chocolate. A sip confirmed it and the liquid heat of it seemed to calm her nerves slightly. But she glanced over at Luke and noted the set lines of his face and her stomach lurched just slightly again.

After everyone was seated, Han set his utensil down and regarded Luke and Mara. "So, kids, what did you want to talk to us about? I figure with those serious faces the two of you are sporting it's one of three things." He held up his hand and started ticking off with his fingers. "One, Thrawn's come back to life." He glanced around at the others at the table, and receiving no confirmation, moved on. "Two, you're moving to Endor to join the Ewok branch of the family." Luke's eyeroll seemed to take care of that supposition, so Han moved on. "Then there's three..." he chuckled before continuing. "Mara's pregnant."

The word had barely left Han's mouth before Mara choked on her mouthful of chocolate and zest cake, coughing and trying to draw in lungfuls of air as Luke rubbed her back and said her name, panic in his voice. She waved her hand at him to push him back, swallowing hard to clear her throat.

Luke jumped from her side to get a glass of water, and she took it gratefully, clearing her throat again in the silence that had fallen over the group.

"I can't believe…we knew…" Leia's sputtering voice broke the hush before trailing off again.

[That they're moving to Endor?]

"Yeah, that was my guess, too, pal." Han looked back and forth between Luke and Mara. "So when's the big move, kids?"

Mara rolled her still watery eyes. "Cute."

But Luke was looking at his twin. "What did you mean, Leia? You knew? Knew what?"

Leia's mouth quirked in amusement. "I meant that Han and I suspected there was something between you and Mara, but we obviously didn't know _everything_."

Luke flushed and looked down at the table. "We never meant to keep anything from you. But Mara and I have been…together…for a while."

"About a year, right?" Han was also looking entirely too amused by the situation. "Give or take."

"How did you—"

Even Chewbacca was grinning now. [It wasn't that hard to figure out.]

"Yeah, not when you suddenly stopped showing up here all the time, and when you did, wearing a huge grin on your face…"

Mara's cheeks warmed. "He wasn't that obvious. Was he?"

"Keep telling yourself that, sister." Han chuckled and then looked somewhat uneasy. "So...kids…"

Mara glanced sideways at Luke as he nudged her through the Force. She nodded slowly and he turned back to their captive audience.

"Mara's pregnant."

"We got that," Leia said with a smile. She jumped up and threw her arms around her brother. "Congratulations!"

Luke smiled into her shoulder and returned the hug, and Mara couldn't help the small smile that tilted at her lips as she watched them. A memory tugged at her mind, of once speaking to Leia about family, back when she had been angry and confused. She'd changed a great deal since then, she realized, and it wasn't as much of a shock as it once would have been. She barely had time to process the thought before Leia was bearing down on her with a hug, too. She patted Leia's back awkwardly, but was genuinely pleased that she was happy with their news.

Leia returned to her seat and leaned her head against Han's arm. "I'm going to be an aunt."

"I noticed." Han smiled his indulgent 'what am I going to do about her?' smile. "So, baby makes three…when's the big day?"

Luke told him the baby's due date, but Han shook his head. "No, Kid, I mean when's the big day?" He pointed to Mara's left hand and the ring that graced it.

Mara's eyes followed his and her face turned white. "Knew all along my ass," she muttered, cheeks warming at the Solos' knowing gazes.

[We've known for sure since you walked in the door, at least.] Chewie barked out a laugh.

"Well, here's something you didn't know: we're not getting married yet." Mara watched the flicker of shock across Leia's face with a small measure of satisfaction.

"She doesn't want to get married while she's pregnant," Luke explained. "Don't worry, I'm wearing her down." A devious smile threaded across his face and Mara scowled to see an identical one gracing his twin's. She took another bite of her cake and regarded the others at the table: her future family. Her stomach twisted at that thought and the realization that Luke had just gained three supporters to his cause.

Han smirked. "Kid, you've knocked up the woman who once wanted nothing more in this galaxy than to kill you." Luke's cheeks burned red again at the description, but Han wasn't finished. "I believe you can do anything you set your mind to."

.

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Heh. ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**The Ninetieth**  
**Day 112**:

_By now you may have felt your baby's fluttery movements for the first time. If not, this next month will have that in store for you..._

The transition to real space was uneventful. Mara checked the chrono from the bridge of the _Wild Karrde_and found that they were set to arrive back on Coruscant earlier than she had expected. She toyed with the idea of comming Luke to tell him the change in plans, so that he wouldn't waste a trip to meet her. But she knew that he would drop everything to be there to greet her. She had been gone for almost a month and their last comm conversation had bordered on the pathetic, with wide blue eyes beseeching her to 'come home already' even if he hadn't spoken the words aloud. Dealing with his sadness was bad enough, but the tug in her heart at the sight of his holo was maddening.

Especially now that the pregnancy was so much more evident than it had been when she had left Coruscant. She was rounding now, her stomach growing slightly with each passing day. But she could still hide the small slope with artfully cut clothing, and as such had chosen her return attire carefully. The jacket was fitted at her breasts and flared, tricking the eyes, even her own when she had studied herself in the mirror. The secret was out to friends and family, but there was no need to let it leak out to the public a moment before they had to.

She had broken the news to Karrde their first night out. She had been unsure as to her future plans with his organization. Thinking of the future was overwhelming at best, but she didn't like to go into any situation without a plan. And a baby wasn't something she could easily plan on. She knew it was one thing to sit in front of Karrde while four months pregnant and say that she would be ready to travel with him again when the baby was twelve weeks old, but the reality would likely be far more difficult. By the end of their conversation, they were no closer to an answer than they had been in the beginning, but Karrde had given her the luxury of time, allowing her to take the rest of her pregnancy to make the plan she was missing and then to let him be privy to it.

His reaction to the news hadn't surprised her any. Unflappable in most situations, he had merely nodded, taking a bare moment to process the information. Even now, sitting as she was in her seat on the bridge, she could picture the look on his face, not surprised in the least. She pursed her lips. Lack of shock seemed to be the prevailing reaction from all of their friends and family.

Reentry to Coruscant was as smooth as always, and soon it was time to gather her bags and leave the ship. A pang shuddered at her heart, though she didn't betray any melancholy on her face. The ship had been her home for some time, though if she was honest with herself she had also begun to feel at home on Coruscant again. The evidence of that feeling was hiding under her loose jacket.

"Do you have everything you need, Mara?"

Looking up into Karrde's eyes, she realized that they had landed while her thoughts had dwelled on home. He was intent in his gaze, as always, and it unnerved her slightly. "I'm fine. My thoughts were just wandering." She unstrapped herself from the crash webbing and stood. "I'd like to thank you again for-"

"There's no need." Karrde placed a hand on her arm and squeezed just lightly before letting go. He glanced around as if uneasy himself. But no one was paying them any attention. "You just let me know when you know how things are going to proceed. In the meanwhile I have some contacts you can set up for me, right here planetside. I've taken the liberty to send the information to your home station already."

The thought of still having work to do cheered her slightly. "Thank you." She paused for a moment. "For everything."

He nodded sharply and turned to speak with Aves, his gentle way of dismissal. Mara sighed. Even if it wasn't forever, she still felt like she was saying goodbye to a part of her life that she wasn't sure she was ready to give up.

.

.

Mara hitched her bag up further on her shoulder and started to make her way from the docking bay. Her stomach growled and she couldn't help a small quirk of her lip. Stepping out of the flow of traffic, she dug into her bag for a ration bar. It wasn't exactly a gourmet meal, but it would do for now and give her the energy that she had been lacking of late.

She unwrapped the bar quickly and took a large bite, consuming almost half of the ration before she could stop herself. Her mind cast forward to her reunion with Luke, one that she knew would feature a new marriage proposal from him. It had become something of a joke between them, his proposals. He had scaled it back somewhat, not wanting to overwhelm her with over-the-top proposals, but she found that she almost looked forward to them. Not that she would ever let him know that, of course. She smirked at the thought and was just beginning to step forward again when a small tingle ran down the back of her neck. Instantly on guard, the ration bar was forgotten as she straightened and turned, scanning the shadows of the hanger for the source of the Force warning. She let her hand fall subtly to the blaster and lightsaber that were ensconced in her bag, and cursed herself for not wearing them. She hadn't wanted to bring attention to her midsection.

Everything was silent for a moment, but then she saw a shadow move behind a broken hyperdrive that sat in pieces on the floor. She moved around to situate herself between the shadow and the large hangar doors. From her new angle she could see beyond the shadows to a Dug who was now whipping his head back and forth as if trying to find...her. "Looking for something?"

The Dug's head turned and though he looked startled, he still grinned, loping over to her in his strange cadence. "Found some_one_."

He looked slightly familiar. She ran her eyes over him and noticed a holocam hanging around his neck. Great. A photog. They usually set up camp near Luke, following his every move, but most of them had sense enough to leave her alone. "You've found nothing." Somewhat relieved, she turned to walk away.

"Perhaps not," the paparrazo said. Mara waited a beat as he said nothing more. She rolled her eyes, and started to walk away. She had almost reached the bay doors when the Dug made his move. "But I do wonder if congratulations aren't in order?"

The words were loud as they echoed in the now empty hangar. Heat suffused Mara's face, and rage tingled down her spine. But as she turned back to the alien, she knew that her anger didn't show. Yet. "Congratulations on a successful landing back on Coruscant? Hardly something to offer glad tidings over."

Another grin, more of a smirk, spread over the photog's face as he loped toward her.

"Charming, as always." He stopped in front of her. "The last time we spoke you threatened to break my hand." He balanced on one hand and held the other one up, opening and closing his palm. "I wonder if you'll follow through on it this time."

Mara still couldn't place him, but that did sound like something she would say. "You're being very brave for someone who's afraid I'll break an appendage."

The grin on his face sloped, giving him a devilish look. "I'll take my chances for this prize."

"There is no prize."

"Oh, but there is, Trader Jade." He rocked back on his hands as if well satisfied with himself. "Or, I should say, there will be when I'm the first to reveal to the galaxy that you're pregnant with Luke Skywalker's child."

The icy chill that knifed through Mara's stomach wasn't reflected in the small chuckle she gave for the sleemo's benefit. "Hardly the first. I think there's been a story like that in every tabloid on every planet in the rim. Any woman that has even spoken to Skywalker has had that headline plastered somewhere about her."

The Dug grinned. "But you're the only woman who is actually carrying his baby. And I have proof."

"Don't lose your Sabaac face so soon," Mara growled. "There's no proof to be had." She was quickly losing her patience, and her mind worked frantically, trying to think of what proof he could have, if any. It could be, after all, an amateur attempt to make her confess.

"Let's just say I have friends in the right places. I could, of course, _forget_the information...under the right circumstances."

White hot rage temporarily blinded Mara, but a deep breath calmed her baser instincts so that she did not revert into the Mara she had once been and rip the wannabe reporter's throat out. He was still trying to play her, and she would not walk into that trap. Even if he did have proof, the baby couldn't be hidden from the galaxy forever. But it galled her to think that the news of her and Luke's child could be splashed across trash holonews sites. "Even if I were pregnant I wouldn't buy the information off you." Her voice was moderate, but she was barely managing to keep the anger out of it. Finished with the lowlife, she walked back to the hanger door.

"I'm surprised at you, Trader Jade. I had thought that you would want to make a deal." The Dug's voice carried from where he still stood in shadow.

Mara pulled open the door, not sparing a backward glance. "The only deal I'm offering is that you stay away from me, and from Luke." She paused to let him ponder that. "Stay away or you'll wish that you had."

She didn't wait for his reply, and left.

.

.

She was just stepping out of the lift on her floor when an explosion of happiness through the Force nearly knocked her off stride. The door to her apartment opened and Luke's head popped out. She knew he was restraining himself from running into the hallway and grabbing her in a hug, and she silently thanked him for that. As it was, she was barely in the door before he had her in his arms, his face buried in her neck.

"You're back," he whispered, nuzzling her. "Force, I've missed you."

Mara's stomach clenched at his words. In that moment she wanted nothing more than to relax against him, to let his warm scent lull her into a sense of peace and security. But he pulled back and tugged at the button on her jacket.

"Let me see." He slipped his hands into the cloth and cupped her stomach. His eyes lit up as he grinned at her. "There's an actual belly there now."

"You're not the only one to notice." Pushing from his embrace, she folded her arms over her stomach.

"What?" He seemed confused, beginning to notice her conflicted feelings.

"On the way here I ran into a paparazzo. He knew."

The smile fell from Luke's face, and he stopped advancing on her. "About the baby?" He shook his head. "How?" He looked closely at her. "I wouldn't be able to tell if I didn't already know."

"Does it matter _how_ he knows? He knew, Skywalker. He made it very clear that he's going to take the story to the press, unless, of course, we want to _pay _him to do otherwise."

"Pay him?" Luke squeezed the fingers of his right hand into a tight fist. She could read the tension on his face as he looked into her eyes. "Are you all right? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"I'm fine." She didn't lower her arms, and hugged them tighter to her body. "But people know. Soon this is going to be all over the HoloNet..." Mara trailed off with a frustrated puff of breath.

"It's okay," Luke said, moving toward her again. "The baby will be safe, Mara. You know that."

"It's not about the baby!" With those words it was like something snapped within Mara. "_Of course_we'll keep the baby safe. But the baby is … it's complicated. I had to leave Karrde's organization today and then this sleemo was waiting for me and now you're here and I can't breathe!"

Luke's eyes had widened during her outburst, but now he smiled at her gently. "Of course, you're tired. Here, I'll make-"

"Don't do that. Don't you dare patronize me. I'm not tired; I'm... I don't know what I am. Frustrated. Angry, even. Everything is changing and it's all so fast and now our news is going to be the business of everyone in the galaxy."

"I don't like it anymore than you do. The thought of our baby being made an item of gossip. But sooner or later..." he gestured to her stomach. "We can't hide the baby forever."

Mara laughed, but wasn't amused. "You think I don't know that? You try hiding your protruding stomach! Or racing from the room during an important meeting to throw up. I'm the only one-"

"The only one what?" The good humor had gone out of Luke's face. "I know it's not easy for you, Mara. But what more can I do? You left with Karrde and I stayed here, respecting your wishes. I can't help you if you're not here."

"My career is with Karrde. You knew that when we started this."

"Yes, I did. And that's why I knew you had to go. But with the baby things are going to have to change somewhat."

Mara bristled. "I know that! For kriff's sake, do you think I don't know that?"

"Of course I know that you know that. Look, let's just calm down. I'll fix us something to eat..."

"Calm down? There's a sleemo reporter out there probably sending out news releases right now. I won't be able to move on any planet in the Core without a horde of them on my back. No one will want to do business with me..."

"Come on. We'll just sit down. The stress can't be good for-"

"You don't want to finish that sentence," Mara growled.

Luke rocked back on his heels. "This isn't how I imagined your homecoming."

"What? You expected me to rush into your arms and tell you how I can't live without you?" Mara rolled her eyes. "Well, the real world intruded on your romantic plans. Sorry, Skywalker."

The color drained from his face, and he nodded firmly, as if he had come to a conclusion. "I think maybe I should leave. Before we say something we regret."

Mara stared at him, trying to call his bluff. "Maybe you should."

"Fine." She didn't hear the door open or close behind him, but she did feel a deep ache in her heart, and wasn't sure if it was her pain, his pain, or a mingling of them both through the Force.

.

.

Mara punched her pillow and tried again to situate herself in the bed. Her bunk on the _Wild Karrde_was against the wall and she had grown used to pressing her back against it during her time away. She briefly imagined lying with her back against Luke's chest but shook her head to remove the thought. Despite herself, her eyes tracked to the chrono on her bedside table. 0230 and Luke still wasn't home. She thought of his apartment, the one he so rarely used when they both were on Coruscant, and wondered if he was there.

Flopping onto her back, she picked up her engagement ring from the chain around her neck. Light from a passing speeder illuminated it for a moment, allowing the stone to shine in a pulse of brightness. She sighed and rose slightly to remove the necklace. She slid the ring off the chain and placed it on her finger, discarding the necklace next to the chrono. Luke had been right, of course. Things were going to change with the baby. And the marriage. Because even as she was putting the wedding off, she knew it was going to happen. She wanted it to happen.

There wasn't any way they could raise the baby in separate apartments. As much as she wanted to pretend that things weren't going to drastically change, they were. Throughout their relationship Mara had been able to hug her freedom to herself, to pretend that she could love Luke but keep a part of herself separate. But the longer they were together, and now with their child, she still feared losing that part of herself.

Her hand slid over the small mound of her stomach. "Your father would say that fear leads to the dark side," she murmured. Mara stared up at the ceiling, continuing to rub her belly. "I don't think I've ever really spoken to you before." She bit her lip before continuing. "It's not that I don't...that I don't love you. I just haven't gotten used to the idea of you. I had only just gotten used to the idea of your father."

She felt slightly foolish speaking to her own stomach, and sighed. "I can't believe you're not home yet, Skywalker."

Just then her personal comm beeped and she answered it before she even realized she had moved to grab it. "Where are you?"

"I didn't wake you?" Luke's voice was slightly tinny, as if he was speaking from an echo chamber.

"You're at the Temple, aren't you?" Luke was still working to get the Jedi Temple back for the permanent use of the Jedi Academy he wished to start. Every time he made progress, something blocked his path. The Force at work, he told her, realizing he needed to slow down and carefully plan the resurgence of the Jedi. Hard work, being patient, for her impetuous love.

"You know me well," he said ruefully. And sighed. "I should know _you_better. I'm sorry for upsetting you tonight, Mara."

Mara's lips curved in a small smile. "Stop apologizing in an attempt to make me apologize."

Luke laughed, but sobered quickly. "I think we need to talk about some things."

Mara nodded, even though he couldn't see the action. "In the morning. But come home now. I'm tired."

"Is that Mara-speak to say that you miss me?"

"Get your ass home, Skywalker."

He chuckled warmly. "On my way."

The comm call disconnected, but she felt his bright presence reach out for her in the Force and allowed him access to her, meeting and mingling her essence with his in a way that she was slowly becoming accustomed to. '_I love you_' she thought in his direction, and felt his answer in the rush of emotion that poured through her and through the tingling in her stomach, tiny spasms that seemed to pulse with their own beat.

Relaxing her head against her pillow, Mara's eyes began to drift shut, but the flutters in her stomach continued, down low, past her navel. She placed her hand there, and her brow furrowed as she contemplated the strange sensation. There was no feeling of it from the outside, but inside it felt like tiny vibrations of... movement.

Mara's eyes shot open. "You're real," she whispered, in awe. "Oh, my baby. Hello."

.

.

The bed dipped as he climbed in behind her, settling in. He kissed her jaw as she stirred. "Shhhh, go back to sleep."

Mara nuzzled back into his body, sighing as his warmth seeped through her gown. She took his hand and placed it on her stomach, eager to share her news. "I think it's too early for you to feel yet, but she's _real_, Luke. She moved...I felt her for the first time just a little while ago."

"She did? _She_?" Luke turned her in his embrace so he could look into her eyes.

Mara nodded, a smile threading across her face. She cupped his cheek. "I felt that, too. _She_."

The grin on his face was blinding. "I knew it." He closed his eyes momentarily, and she knew he was reaching toward their unborn daughter through the Force. The peace and contentment on his face as he found her presence was unmistakable. "Hello, baby," he whispered. "I love you."

Mara rolled her eyes through her smile. "She's turning us both into saps already."

Luke's amused chuckle kept the damnable smile on her face.

Turning back into her original position, Mara locked her hand with his on her stomach. She was just relaxing again when Luke's soft voice whispered into her ear. "Gonna marry me?"

She squeezed his hand, allowing him to feel the cool band of her engagement ring against his fingers. "Soon," was all she could say before falling into peaceful dreams.

.

.

.

.

Well, Mara had to freak out at some point. ;)


	6. Chapter 6

_a/n: Chapter 6 has been a pain. It was meant to be made up of many small proposals but some of them have taken on a life of their own. They'll be Chapter 7. For now, here are four short proposals. Proposal 140 has a shine (missing scene) that is rated NC-17. It's on the Luke and Mara LJ comm. If any of you need a link, let me know. It has safeguards so that you must be over 18 to access. Thanks!_

**CHAPTER 6**

_The 125th:_  
_Day 132_

_You may notice that you're feeling a little more emotionally stable and experiencing fewer mood swings… _

Mara grimaced and stretched her neck. She laced her fingers and pushed her arms out in front of her to stretch them, too. But even with the crick in her neck and the slight ache in her fingers, she was feeling uncommonly good. Sitting in front of the holostation for a couple of hours wasn't always her favorite activity, but it was nice to be working, to do something that made her feel so much like herself.

That was the nice thing about the last few weeks, she mused, standing from the chair to stretch her back muscles. Leia had told her that once she passed the first trimester that she would start to feel more like herself again. That she would once again have energy and drive to do something more than sulk or throw up. And it was true. She once more felt like the Mara Jade of old, just with a new accessory. She gave a rueful half smile in the direction of her stomach. An ever expanding accessory.

The news was now out to the galaxy. True to his word the spineless Dug had sold his information, apparently gained from an 'inside source' at the laboratory that ran tests for her obstetrician. The lab was fired by the ob's office, but the damage was done. The holopress had gone berserk, leaving Mara and Luke stuck in the apartment rather than to venture out into the mobs of reporters. They hadn't released a statement, and as far as Mara was concerned they could all jump off the nearest skyhook. She stayed away from watching any of the trash, and was happier for it. As for the Dug, he was lucky that she was so confined. But she almost thought the paparazzo had more to fear from Luke. An angry father made for an intimidating man.

Letting out a puff of frustrated air, she made the fringe of hair on her forehead fly up. "Time for a snack."

In the kitchen she pulled out a box of chocolate wafers, her current food obsession. Luke liked them, too, but often got his hands slapped away if he tried to steal a handful. Leaning back against the counter, she ate, mind on nothing in particular other than taking more food from the box when her hand was empty.

A beep signaled Artoo Detoo rolling over the threshold of the kitchen. "Hey, Shortstuff." When Luke had first started staying at her apartment, Artoo hadn't come with him. It seemed too…permanent to have his droid there. But now Artoo was as much a fixture as Luke, and seemed to know the ins and outs of the apartment computer better than she did.

The droid beeped again, and Mara stooped just slightly to read the datapad attached to his dome. "Luke should be home later tonight."

Artoo warbled again. Mara shook her head. "No, I don't know why he didn't take you with him." She had wondered about that herself when Luke had left the apartment. Usually Artoo followed behind his master like a very loud shadow. She had a feeling Artoo had been left behind to keep her company and as a safe-guard against paparazzi bots. Magnanimously, she had decided not to kill Luke for that. Or dismember the droid. She smiled fully at those thoughts. It was good to feel like herself again. She knew that Luke knew she could take care of herself and the baby. But he was a worrier by nature.

The smile turned into a frown as she looked up at the chrono, realizing that she had just spent far longer eating a snack than she had expected and was now behind. Walking around Artoo, she headed back into her office. Artoo trailed right along behind her, but she didn't pay him much attention as she settled back into her seat, reaching for her mug of decaf to take a grateful sip. Opening a file, she started to work again, only to be unnerved by Artoo, standing guard at her side. He let out the equivalent of a droid moan, and she snapped. "What?"

ARE YOU ANTI-MARRIAGE?

Mara's eyes widened. "What?" The screen remained unchanged. "I'm not…I'm not having this conversation with a droid."

"Did Luke put you up to this?" Artoo's response was merely to stand still, the same question on the screen.

Artoo whistled a negative and the screen changed. I'M MERELY CURIOUS.

Mara glared at him. "Did you ever hear the phrase "Curiosity killed the droid?"

The derisive noise that issued from Artoo was comical, and Mara tamped down a half-smile. "Anything else you're curious about?"

WILL YOU MARRY MASTER LUKE?

Mara threw up her hands with a small shriek. "You're doing his dirty work now?"

Artoo screeched and rolled away, beeping to himself down the hall. Mara shook her head. A droid proposal? What would Luke think up next?

.

.

_The 140th (PG Version)_  
_Day 145: _

_As the uterus becomes larger, you may have some concerns about having sex during pregnancy. For the most part, let your own sexual comfort be your guide..._

"Damn, Luke." Mara shivered pleasantly, still working to catch her breath. She leaned her forehead against his shoulder.

He laughed through his intake of breath. "Makes you wonder why you haven't married me yet, doesn't it?"

Mara looked up, biting her lip to hide a smile. "...okay, you have the right to be a little smug after that performance, Skywalker. But that doesn't mean-"

Luke gathered her into his arms and kissed her, opening her mouth to his to deepen the kiss. She pushed against him, but didn't fight, kissing him back until he fell against the headboard, taking her with him.

She pulled back and regarded him through half-lidded eyes.

He broke into a grin. "Marry me, Mara. Come on, just imagine the wedding night."

With a grin of her own, she lightly kissed his lips, and then tracked her hand down his chest. "Well," she said, teasing him, "when you put it _that _way..."

.

.

_The 154th_  
_Day 148:_

_Every day, you should become more and more aware of the baby's movement. Although the bumps and thumps are obvious to you, it may be a few more weeks before someone else can feel the baby move by touching your abdomen. _

"Hey, baby. It's Daddy. Can you hear me?" Luke's hand splayed out over the bump of her abdomen. She tried not to roll her eyes.

But when Luke's disappointed gaze met hers, she couldn't help a small frown of sympathy. "You'll be able to feel her move soon."

"I guess." He flopped back against the couch with a sigh. "I know I'm lucky to be able to feel her through the Force so early. But I want to feel her kick."

"Don't rush her." _Or me_, she thought. But just then she felt the tell-tale flutter inside of her and grabbed his hand. "There!"

But though the movement was completely obvious to her, Luke still wilted with frustration. He shook his head. "Can't feel it." He voice was dangerously close to a whine.

Mara hid a smirk. "Don't bellyache, buddy boy. And you wonder why I haven't married you yet." She pushed out with the Force allowing him to feel her amusement.

He laughed. "Sorry. I'm just excited."

"I never would have guessed." Mara raised an eyebrow at him in mock fashion.

With a grin, he laid down with his head in her rapidly disappearing lap. He kissed her belly, but then looked up at the ceiling with a small sigh.

"What is it?" Mara ran her fingers through his hair, scratching lightly at his scalp.

A smile tugged at his mouth. "I think…I think I'm very close to getting the Temple, Mara."

"Really?" Mara grinned down at him.

"Yeah." He paused for a moment and let his gladness wash over her through their strengthening bond. "The CSF has repeatedly combed through and hasn't found anymore traps. I walked through myself and detected none. Plus the last group that held a claim over the land is very close to backing down. The Jedi will have their home back. Very soon. I can feel it."

Mara could picture it. In her mind's eye she could see Luke, cloaked in brown, standing in front of a class of adepts. The room around them was sunlit and free of the scars that lingered there now, testament to the slaughter of innocents that had once occurred. Many had asked Luke why he did not move his Academy elsewhere, away from the horror of the past. Nobles from many worlds had offered tracts of land, building supplies, even construction crews to help with the project. Yavin IV, the former base for the Alliance had even been suggested, but rejected by Luke. He did not want to be affiliated with any particular person or planet until the Jedi could make it on their own. And the Temple belonged to the Jedi. It was a place that deserved to be used, to be reborn from the desecration that had befallen it.

Dropping her hand from his hair, she traced a finger over his lips. "I'm proud of you."

His cheeks flushed just slightly at the praise. His eyes rose to meet hers. "And when we have it back, I want our wedding to be there."

Mara grinned outright at that. "Are you giving me an out, Luke? You know the Temple won't be in any shape for a wedding for some time after you take possession."

"Ha." He turned his head inward to Mara's stomach. "Do you hear how mean your Mommy is to me? Won't even marry-" He pulled back and looked up at Mara. "Stop moving. I'm talking to my daughter and can't when you're bumping me around."

Biting her lip, Mara regarded him solemnly. "_I_wasn't moving."

"You weren't mov…oh, Force!" He leaned in to talk to the baby again. "Hi, little one. I can feel you. Kick again…for Daddy."

A flutter from inside was met with an enormous grin from the man in her lap. "I can't believe it! Wait, what's that?"

Mara frowned as Luke put his ear to her stomach, pretending to listen to something from deep inside.

"Uh-huh. I agree. Well, I've been trying."

Rolling her eyes, Mara did move this time, bumping him with her distended stomach. "What are you doing?"

Luke was laughing as he looked up at her. "Your daughter was just asking me to ask you a question."

"I bet I can guess which one."

He grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Will you do our baby a favor and marry her father?"

Mara groaned. "Droid proposals and fetal proposals, what's next?"

"I could skywrite it outside the window."

"Cute." But she could tell Luke knew she was amused. She watched him for a few minutes, still in awe of the strange feeling of the child moving within her. He couldn't feel but a fraction of what she did, yet his hand remained on her stomach. "You two are best friends already, aren't you?" It was still somewhat strange to speak of the baby so concretely. Even with movement she was still an abstract idea in many ways.

The grin that had permanently been attached to Luke's face since finding out the news grew. "Of course. She's Daddy's little girl."

Mara smiled. Because, in her mind's eye, she could still see Luke clothed in the robes of a Jedi at the refurbished Temple. But now she could almost envision their daughter, standing next to him. And just out of that range, maybe, just maybe, she herself was standing there as well.

.

.

_The 161st_  
_Day 176:_

_As your growing baby becomes more and more active, you may notice that sometimes your sleep is interrupted by its restlessness._

Mara turned and muttered a mild oath, punching her pillow. She tried to settle into a comfortable position, but her stomach had ballooned seemingly overnight. It was extremely hard to find any position that would be comfortable for more than ten minutes. And when she managed to find that comfortable position, the baby would kick to show her displeasure. Mara sighed. There was still had so far to go before the baby was born...and that was definitely not a guarantee of sleep.

Kicking the bed hard, she let out a frustrated yell.

Luke snorted and bolted up right. "Whazzit?"

Mara glared at him. "Your daughter won't let me rest. Again."

Rubbing a hand across his eyes, Luke yawned. "Okay. Come here."

She was too tired to protest and allowed him to pull her back into his arms. She relaxed into his body and moaned as his body heat helped to soothe the sore muscles in her back. He wedged one of his knees between her legs and she relaxed against him, humming happily as he sent soothing waves of relaxation to her through the Force.

They were silent for a moment, resting and then he kissed her ear. "Gonna marry me now?" he murmured.

"Not tonight..." Her comment was cut off with a yawn, but she lightly squeezed his hand with hers..

"'kay..." He let their conjoined hands fall to rest gently on the swell of her belly, and together they slept.


	7. Chapter 7

_This may be a bit long, but I couldn't decide if I should break it up into pieces or not. I wanted to do a lot of mini-proposals but this is what I ended up with. I'm afraid that this chapter isn't what I wanted it to be, but after all this time of feeling blah about it and editing I'm just going to post it and move on. It doesn't do exactly what I wanted it to do, but there are still pieces I like. I hope you'll enjoy._

**CHAPTER 7**

_The 166th_  
_Day 187:_

_Imagine what you will say to your baby when the two of you meet and how you will stroke its skin and hold its tiny hand. Your baby's birth is not very far away._

Mara woke to a slight noise, out of place in her apartment. Opening her eyes she tried to wipe the fuzz from her brain, sharpening her ears to listen for the sound again. A beat or two of silence passed and her tense muscles relaxed slightly. Realizing Luke wasn't in the bed next to her she assumed he had made the noise and sat up slowly, stretching. The baby rolled over inside of her and she watched her sleep shirt push out with the movement. Her stomach growled almost in concert with the somersault and she shook her head. "Have your father's appetite," she murmured, standing to shuffle to the 'fresher.

A few minutes later she wandered out into the kitchen, and smiled to find a plate of food awaiting her. A take-out bag from one of her favorite restaurants was lying on the counter. She realized Luke had already been up and out of the apartment even though a quick glance at the chrono told her it was still very early in the morning. With a mental shrug she opened the lid and inhaled the spicy breakfast scents from the plate before digging in right where she stood.

The edge of hunger wore off as the food disappeared and she slowed down, taking time to savor each bite. Pushing out a chair to sit, she heard another sound, a clank of two items slapping together. Her brow furrowed and she didn't sit, taking her plate with her and walking toward the noise. She had idly wondered where Luke was when he didn't come into the kitchen to greet her, but the food had been foremost in her mind. Bypassing the empty sitting area she realized the only place he could be was the small extra room that by default would one day be the baby's room. Palming open the door, she found him on the floor, surrounded by slatted material, a baby crib.

He looked up at her with a distracted grin. "I see you honed in on the breakfast."

"You only think you're cute." She sniffed before taking another bite of her meal, settling herself into the chair that had once been at her desk. He looked at her and playfully rolled his eyes. She had to concede that he _was_ cute, even as a mental nudge let her know that he had caught the errant thought. "Did you buy that this morning?" She reached out a toe and touched one of the white slats.

He nodded, snapping one end of a slat into another. "I woke early this morning and had my daily chat with our daughter." He picked up his multitool and began tightening a screw. "She told me that she would be here very, very soon and that she needed at least a bed, if not more."

"She told you that, hm?" Mara chewed another bite and looked around at the off-white walls of the now bare room. Save taking her desk and HoloNet connection out of the room, they hadn't done anything to ready it for the baby.

"She did." Luke fit another slat into place and used the tool again. "She also told me to let you sleep and that's why I slipped out of the bed before we could wake you."

Mara scoffed and ran a hand over her stomach. "She should take her own advice. I seem to remember her kicking around until very early this morning."

"Would you rather she be a morning person, like me?"

"Touché." They settled into a companionable silence and she finished her meal as the crib began to take shape. It was smaller than she expected and she told him so.

Placing the last slate into its groove, he stood and began attaching a draped canopy to the head of the small, oval crib. "Well," he said, adjusting the gauzy white fabric, "I looked around on the 'net to see what the best kind of crib was. And this crib grows with the baby. First it's small. A bassinette. It can be wheeled wherever we need it while the baby's tiny."

Mara looked at the little bed, and set her plate on the floor. Pushing out of her chair, she walked over and fingered the filmy fabric Luke had just set into place. "And then as the baby grows…?"

"There are extra packs you can buy to increase the size with the baby. All the way to toddler size." Luke glanced toward the packaging that the crib had been in, and rooted around it in, pulling out the mattress. He removed its protective wrap and fluffed it, placing it in the crib.

But Mara was busy imagining a toddler, a little girl with Luke's big heart and her green eyes, too big for the bassinette they now looked it. It was hard to fathom. Her hand dropped to her stomach. "Looks about finished," she murmured.

He knelt down on the floor to rustle around in another shopping bag. "Not quite." He looked up at her through the fringe of his hair, a bashful smile on his face. "Just two more things."

She watched as he attached a mobile to the bassinette, tiny colorful stars and moons that rotated to music that was actually soothing, not annoying as Mara would have expected. When he was finished she lifted a brow. "You said two things."

He grinned again. "For you," he said, holding out a small stuffed toy. A pitten.

"What if I'm allergic?" She reached out for the toy.

"Ha. Luckily this is of the stuffed variety and a non-allergenic. Besides, I didn't mean it was for you. It's for _her_."

Mara shook her head, but couldn't stop a smile. "You're so smitten. A smitten-pitten."

He laughed. "Now you're being cute." He kissed her cheek before starting to clean up the mess around the room.

Mara stood in the sunshine pouring through the window and contemplated the baby's bed, trying to picture their daughter lying in it, sleeping. She ran her fingers over the coolness of the wood and carefully placed the pitten inside. As she had known he would, Luke came to stand behind her, wrapping her in his embrace, one hand resting gently on her stomach.

"I thought about having the pitten holding a note that said "Marry Me" but I thought it would be overkill. Or that you would find a way to marry _it_ just to spite me."

Mara chuckled. "Good choice."

"She's going to be here soon," he murmured, before kissing her ear. "Marry me now? It'll save time later…"

"Such a romantic."

"Look who's talking…." Luke rested his head against hers. "She'll be here soon," he repeated.

Mara laced her fingers with his on her stomach. "Soon," she agreed, knowing that there was more in that word than just an echo.

.

.

_The 168th_  
_Day 201:_

_You may notice that you're a little clumsy these days..._

Mara exited the street ahead of the photog that was trailing her, practically tripping over her own feet in the process. Righting herself, she doubled back against the door to watch as he continued down the skywalk, head whipping from side to side as he searched for her. She sighed, relief in not falling and in evading the idiot with the holocam warring in her mind. That one had been intrepid, noticing her even with the care she had taken to hide her bright hair under a hat and to leave her apartment building from a back exit, clearly marked as one for staff only.

The paparazzi had calmed down in recent weeks, moving on to a new scandal involving a Twi-lek actress in the burgeoning holofilm industry that was just beginning to reshape on Coruscant. Mara didn't know the specifics of it, but silently thanked the woman for taking the heat off. The Dug that had broke the news on her had seemed to move on to bigger and better things, and good riddance. But she knew they would be back, and sooner rather than later. The baby's birth would rate a galaxy wide news release. Leia had agreed to take care of that duty when the time came, and Mara was grateful. Hopefully it would mean that the news could be released on their terms. But if it were up to her she would just show up in public when her daughter was of age and let the masses figure it out then.

Turning to face the establishment she had entered, she realized that she hadn't been taken much notice of. And that suited her just fine. It was a cantina, a large one, and sentients of every species sat in darkened corners, conducting deals, drinking their strange drinks and generally staying out of one another's way. Waiting a beat or two more Mara figured it was safe to leave. But as she turned to brave the street once more when she felt a familiar presence in the crowd. She turned and looked closer, until she saw him, alone, at a corner booth. She wondered if he were waiting for someone. He didn't appear as if he were trying to be incognito, and Han Solo's face was too well known on the holovid for him to be undercover.

But he seemed to be enjoying his solitude, and Mara once more turned to the door to leave, only to have the comm ring on her belt. Pulling it off to silence it, she saw that the call was from Solo. "Too late now," she muttered.

She elicited no strange looks as she passed through the bar area, but then no one seemed to pay much mind to her, pregnant or otherwise. She knew that was all for show and that everyone there knew, or suspected, everyone else's business, but that was the way of it. She sat at Han's table and favored him with a smirk as she removed her hat. "A little early for that, isn't it?" She nodded to his Corellian whiskey.

"Not today." He was slumped back in a characteristic laze, but even with his words she could see that he hadn't drank much of his glass, if any. And she would bet her ship it was his first, and only, of the day.

"I thought maybe you were going to hem and haw at the door a little longer, Jade. Interesting drinking buddy you have there." He looked pointedly at her stomach.

Mara rolled her eyes. "Maybe Leia sent me to collect your ass."

Han grinned, good humor lighting his eyes. "I think she could do that on her own."

"I think you're right." Mara leaned back against the worn cushion of the booth. "I ducked in here to get away from a photog."

"Only one?" Han was instantly on his guard, straightening and looking toward the door.

Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes again, Mara nodded. Han was acting almost as over-protective of her and the baby as Luke would. But, she had to concede, there were few men who would be better to have at your back in any scenario.

"Kriff 'em. They wouldn't leave Leia alone the last time, either. I guess it's just lucky that she was in hiding so long while pregnant with the twins."

Mara suppressed a grimace, thinking back to that time. In a way it seemed only yesterday, but looking down at the slope of her belly, she knew that it had been a very long time ago. "Well, this one caught me leaving the staff exit of my building."

"Just wanted to get out?" Han seemed confident in asking as if he already knew the answer.

"There's only so much I can do at home." She didn't mention that she had felt Luke was underfoot. And that his latest proposal, written in the fog of her bathroom mirror, had vexed her more than it had made her smile. It was just one of those days.

"Kid's driving you nuts, huh?"

Mara couldn't help it. She laughed. "You know him well." Now that she was away from the apartment her restlessness and irritation seemed trite.

"Ah, cut him some slack, Jade. He's new at this, too." Han picked up his glass, but didn't drink. He just seemed to need something to do with his hands.

Mara studied him, watching him abstractly as she realized he was right. Such a simple statement, but a correct one. Luke was new at this…at all of it. He had never lived with another woman, had never proposed to another woman, and certainly wasn't a father already. Unless the holovid rumors turned out to be true one day, because there wasn't a woman that Luke knew who hadn't been linked to carrying his child. She hummed a slight agreement but gestured to his glass. "What about you? You never said why you're nursing that drink so early in the afternoon."

"I guess I just wanted to get out, too. The day has been..." He paused and seemed to contemplate the ending of his sentence. "Loud."

Mara nodded. She could imagine. The twins and Anakin were cute, but constantly _on_, seeming to have only two speeds. The other speed was sleep, but one look at Han and Leia and anyone could tell that they weren't getting much of that. "Yeah. So what are you going to do? Sit here and not drink all afternoon?"

"I could ask you the same, Jade. Whiskey and your delicate condition don't go so well together." Han gave her his infamous half-smile.

Mara looked around the cantina. She spotted a circular game board in the corner. "I'm going to throw darts," she said, scooting out of her seat and walking away.

She didn't need the Force to know Han was walking behind her. A couple of nervous looking Rodians scattered as she approached, and she turned to face Han. "What, you want to play, too?"

"Beats sitting around and not drinking, I guess." He set his drink on the counter in front of them.

Mara shook her head but handed Han the box that contained his darts. She eyed the lit board and then looked back at him, silently asking who would throw first. Han bowed an arm out to her graciously. Stepping around the counter they stood at, she grimaced as she bumped her belly on the edge of it.

"Careful. You're a bit top heavy and clumsy of late."

Han's damnable grin made Mara want to throw her dart at him instead of the board. But she didn't answer him, throwing her first dart smoothly, landing it almost at perfect center. "Don't call me heavy."

Appraising her dart, Han nodded his approval. "Pretty good if you didn't use the Force."

"I didn't!"

"Okay, okay. Don't get all worked up." He sat his darts and drink on the counter. "Let's see what else you've got, sister."

Mara scoffed. "I'm not your sister." She aimed another dart at the board, readying it to fly—

"Not yet."

Mara overcompensated and the dart landed in the outer ring. "Kriff!" She whirled on Han. "Stop trying to distract me." Before he could say anything else, she threw the third dart, landing it much closer to the bullseye.

"Not bad at all," Han said, walking over to read her score. "Though I think I shook you up a bit to throw this one," he pointed, "so far out of bounds."

"The baby kicked." Mara nodded as if she believed it herself. "Can't help it if she has her father's sense of timing."

Han grinned at that. "Sounds about right. But come on, Jade. Why are you still so jumpy over this? I know the Kid's been laying it on a bit thick, but, well…" he pointed a dart at her stomach. "Can you blame him?"

With a sigh, Mara sat on the stool at the counter. "Come on, Han. Not you, too."

Taking his place on the demarcation line, Han threw his three darts, one landing perfectly in the center and the other two only barely off. "What kind of buddy would I be if I didn't talk him up a bit? He's not so bad. A bit too idealistic, sure. But you could do worse."

Mara thought of Luke. With him, she could only do worse. "He's already had Artoo propose to me, Han. Please don't tell me you're going to, too."

A rogue grin crossed his face. "I don't do normal proposals. Just ask Her Highness."

"I've heard pieces of that story. I think it's safe to say that you're lucky she sees past your faults."

"Yeah," Han said, removing their darts and sitting down opposite her at the counter. "Sounds like someone else we both know."

Mara was silent for a moment. "I just don't want to get married while I'm still pregnant. Really, at this point it's just a game between us, this proposals thing. It's not like I'm...scared or anything."

"Hm." Han picked up his glass again, looking at the amber colored liquid before setting it down with a soft clunk. "What good is it if it's not a little scary?"

Mara eyed him. She thought of what he had left at home. Three children all under three years of age. "Even on 'loud' days like today?"

"Yeah." He grinned ruefully. "Maybe sometimes I just like to remember why I stay out of joints like this, especially in the middle of the day." Pushing his drink down the bar, he stood up and looked down at her. "Whaddya know, we had our first heart-to-heart and I'm still alive."

"I must be slipping."

Han gave her his sideways smile and took up his darts again. "Another game before I head back to the hellions?"

"You wouldn't have them any other way, and I know it, Solo." Mara half-smiled, stroking a hand over her stomach.

"Only cause they all got their good looks and wits from their father, Jade."

"And sense of self-preservation." Mara didn't miss Han's amusement at her comment. She stood to accept his challenge for another game. She watched him make his first two shots and started to groan while he took an inordinate amount of time lining up for the third throw. Leaning forward to take up her own darts she made sure to bump into him, making him lose his stride. His third dart landed left of bullseye, and Han turned to scowl at her.

"Sorry. Top heavy. Clumsy. You know how it is." She couldn't hide a smirk.

"Right," Han said, with an exaggerated eye roll. "Your turn…_sister_."

Mara was glad her back was to him as she lined up her shot. She didn't want him to see her smile.

.

.

_The 170th_  
_Day 207:_

_This month you will notice many of the same symptoms that you've experienced before, including backaches._

Mara shuffled down the hall, a hand on her aching back. It was the middle of the night and she was awake. Again. She suppressed a grimace and sat on the sofa, propping two pillows behind her. Grumbling under her breath, she flicked on the HoloNet, searching for mindless entertainment.

Luke was still awake but looked comfortable, slung across the couch in only soft sleep pants. He looked over at her from the work he was doing on his datapad. "Anything I can do to help?"

"You've done enough." Her voice was frosty enough to scare off any man. Of course, Luke wasn't just 'any' man.

Pursing his lips, he looked back down at his datapad. "Well, it's early yet so I'll get it out of the way. Will you marry me?"

"_Shut _up."

"I'm having flashbacks." The glare she sent his way was murderous. "Okay. Shutting up now…"

.

.

_The 189th_  
_Day 216:_

_Some women are concerned about the dreams they have during pregnancy, but dreaming a lot is a normal response...change, even a good change like having a baby, requires adjustment and adjustment causes stress..._

Mara woke with a start, eyes snapping open to look at the sunlight on the ceiling. She put her hand to her throat and took a deep breath, willing herself out of the haze sleep and dreaming had put her in. She rolled onto her side, glad that Luke wasn't there to make her talk about her feelings. He was always ready to cajole even her darkest of thoughts or fears out of her, and she wasn't ready for that. Not today. Glancing at the chrono, she realized it was a good thing she had awakened when she had. She was due at Leia's in just under two hours.

For her baby shower.

Making a face at the thought, she decided to linger in bed for a few moments, not ready to get up and face the day. It was nice of Leia to host a shower for her. The baby was due in a few weeks and there was so much to do. Luke had put together the crib but other than that, they weren't really sure of what the child would need. Leia had taken one look at their confused faces and had put together the shower, inviting the people they had gotten to know over the past couple of years. Mara only really knew Leia and her friend Winter, but Luke could vouch for the rest of the invited guests. Several were new contacts he had made through his search for Force sensitives, but of those the only ones Mara knew were Corran and Mirax Horn. She had helped in a rescue of Mirax the year before, and genuinely liked the brassy woman. And her husband was okay, too.

The feel of her dream was fading with her thoughts on the shower, and for that Mara was grateful. The dream was somewhat fuzzy, but no less intense for the abstract nature of it. Her stomach started to clench again, and she threw off the blanket to stand. A small piece of flimsy fluttered to the floor with the movement, and she frowned. "What did he..." she trailed off as she tried to kneel. After an awkward moment where she was unable to successfully get to the floor to reach the flimsy, she held out her hand and called the envelope to her with the Force.

She knew what to expect, but bit her lip at the written message.

_I wanted to write something about how soon we'd be a family, but I believe that even without our baby we are already family, Mara. We're both stubborn so I know what your answer will be, but my question will remain the same. Marry me?_

"Family," she murmured. The word felt almost foreign on her tongue. Her mind swirled, thoughts of her dream meshing with the ideas in Luke's note.

Pushing the thoughts down, she set the flimsy by the bed and took a shower and ate breakfast. It cleared her mind, and before long it was time to head to Han and Leia's apartment for the shower. Luke would meet her there after another morning of overseeing plans for the Temple. He was so close to having all his dreams come true, Mara reflected, waiting for the elevator. The Jedi back in their Temple and a baby…there was only one more dream to add... Glancing down, she placed her ringed hand on her stomach. So many dreams wrapped up in one person. "How did I get here, baby?"

Her whispered question went unanswered, of course, and she felt foolish for posing it. She walked briskly to Han and Leia's, ignoring the random flash of light from holocams. The photogs never seemed far away, but at least none of them were in her face. She chose the most out of the way path to her destination, managing to evade the photogs with one particularly inspired trip through a maternity store. One of the only places she blended into the crowd these days, she thought with a cranky twist of her lips.

Leia herself answered the door when Mara placed her palm on the security sensor. "Hi! Come in."

Mara entered the quiet apartment. "Where is everyone?"

"You're a bit early yet. Han and Chewie took the kids to the park. They'll be back. Winter's around. I think she's soaking up the silence. So far it's just me and you."

"Oh." Mara felt somewhat awkward, not having spent too much time alone with Leia. "Um, thanks for…this."

"You're welcome." Leia's grin was a truly happy one, and Mara noticed how content she looked, every hair in place and color in her cheeks. She looked lovely, happy and complete. The Force seemed upbeat and alive around her, much in the same way it did around Luke. They might not have looked very similar, but in that respect they were very much twins. They drew people to them with their very natures and kept them close, even old smugglers and ex-assassins.

"Uh, is there anything I can help you with?" Mara sincerely hoped that helping did not involve cooking. That was not something in her skill set.

Leia laughed. "Oh, it was all catered. There's really nothing to do but wait for the guests. Do you want something to drink?"

"As long as it's not pink and fruity." The second the words were out of her mouth, Mara felt her cheeks flush. "I mean—"

But Leia was laughing again. "I don't do 'pink and fruity' myself."

"More Solo's speed."

The former princess snorted in a very unlady-like manner. "You never know with that nerfherder."

She walked toward the kitchen and Mara followed, noticing a few marks on the walls as she passed. "The twins'?"

"Oh are there—?" Leia stopped down and looked at the bright red squiggles on the wall. "They know that crayons are taken away if they draw on walls. We must have missed this creative moment." She sighed and looked back at Mara. "Buy washable crayons. Your first tip of the day."

"I'll keep that in mind," she murmured, looking at the marks once more before moving on. It seemed surreal to think that the baby that was still so safely inside of her body would one day be moving around and marking up walls, among other things.

In the kitchen Leia poured them both a drink, a type of punch that her aunts had liked to serve at festive occasions, she explained. Mara took a grateful seat and a long drink. It was neither pink, nor particularly fruity. But it was delicious.

Leia sat opposite her and tilted her head as if studying her. "How are you feeling, Mara? You're getting close."

Mara grimaced. "A little too close."

Nodding, Leia placed her glass on the table. "When I was pregnant I used to wish that I could stop time for a little while. Just until I got used to the idea. Don't misunderstand me. I was happy to be pregnant. But everything just seemed to happen so fast."

"That's… yes. I was worried I was the only one who felt that way."

"No, oh no. I think a lot more women feel that way than want to admit it. It's a big change." Leia eyed Mara shrewdly. "You're in the midst of a lot of big changes."

Mara rolled her eyes. "Is this when you're going to propose to me on Luke's behalf?"

Leia smiled, looking amused. "No, I learned long ago not to interfere in Luke's love life."

"Farmboy had a love life? This I have to hear." Mara's lips curved upward in a smile. "Whenever I mention his past he likes to claim it was all skyhoppers and Death Stars."

"I don't know about skyhoppers. But he was the Hero of the Rebellion..." Leia trailed off and shook her head as if she didn't want to think about that line of thought any further. "But we're talking about you. I know a subject change when I hear one."

Mara sighed. "There is a lot of change. It can be…overwhelming."

"I bet." Leia took another sip of her drink. "When I was pregnant I used to have these dreams…oh, about the stupidest things. In one dream the twins both looked exactly like Han and kept calling everyone 'sweetheart'."

"That is frightening." Mara couldn't hold back a smile. But it dropped off her face when she remembered her own dream from earlier in the morning. "I've been dreaming a lot, too. I woke up from a dream this morning…it was just images, really, but the baby was in her crib and kept levitating toys in with her. I couldn't stop her. She was stronger in the Force than me. In the end she slammed the door on me and that's when I woke up."

"I had those fears, too." Leia didn't try to invalidate her fears, and Mara liked that. "I used to think that they would all gang up on me with the Force…I even wanted Luke to teach me a few more Force techniques right before I had Anakin, just in case."

"Did he?"

"He did. But afterward we sat down and he reminded me that Force sensitive children are often born into families that have no sensitivity at all. Or that they're adopted into those families." Leia smiled softly. "And they all seem to do fine... He's a good teacher, in more ways than one."

"Did you know how close he is in getting the Jedi Temple? Soon he'll be an actual teacher." Mara finished her drink, and tried not to eye the buffet set up along the wall.

"Yes. I'm so proud of him. And at least he'll get a few years of practice in before he gets to our kids, right?" She seemed to notice the direction of Mara's gaze. "Are you hungry?"

"Well—"

Leia grinned. "Hang on." She stood and bustled over to the buffet, taking a cupcake from an artfully arranged tower of them. Nudging at the group of them so that it wouldn't look like one was missing, she threw a conspiratorial wink in Mara's direction. And then returned to the table with her gift. "I won't tell if you don't."

"Tell what?" Mara took a large bite. "This is amazing," she said, after swallowing.

"They also make wedding cakes." Leia's features were schooled into a helpful cajoling.

"You just had to bring that back up, didn't you?" Mara took another bite, savoring the icing.

"What kind of sister would I be if I didn't help my brother out? You should marry him, Mara. He's nice, considerate, cute…can fly a skyhopper and blow up a Death Star…"

"But can he get me to the altar on time?" Mara popped the last bite of cupcake into her mouth, and chewed slowly.

"Let's just say I have faith in the power of my brother's persuasion. After all," she looked pointedly at Mara's belly, "you're here at a baby shower in your honor. So I'm going to bet that yes, he can."

The security sensor chimed then, and Leia left the room with a smile to invite in the guests. Mara watched her go, the words from the flimsy Luke had left her earlier drifting through her mind. _We are already family_, it had read. Sitting with one hand resting on the swell of her stomach, waiting for her baby-shower to begin, she realized that he was right.


	8. Chapter 8

_This is the last proper chapter of the story though there is an interlude (those of you who remember 'Birth' from EoA will recognize some of it) and an epilogue left. I hope you'll enjoy and thanks for reading! __Also, a big thanks to **taramidala** for looking this over and correcting all my spelling mistakes! _

**Chapter 8**

_The 199th_  
_Day 266:_

_Your baby is considered fully developed at this point, as you are on or very near your due-date. That means that all the development that takes place before birth has been accomplished. If born today your baby will weigh about 7 and ½ pounds..._

"You're full of energy today," Luke said, shuffling into the kitchen and blearily pouring himself a cup of caf. He took a sip and seemed to perk somewhat.

He was generally a morning person, but Mara knew he had a lot on his mind of late. The Temple was due to be signed into his possession on behalf of the Jedi in just a day's time. Adding to the mental load was the nervous excitement of the baby's due date, a mere two days away. And since she had such a hard time getting comfortable in the bed now, Luke was regulated to one tiny sliver of the mattress. Late the night before she had shifted in the bed to see him hugging the side of the bed, holding on through sheer will or the power of the Force.

She smiled gently at him. "Rough night?"

"Will you kill me if I say yes?" He leaned back against the counter with a sigh. "I think my back is hurting almost as much as yours must be."

Mara glared. "That comparison might get you killed, Farmboy. At least maimed."

He raised a brow, a smile breaking over his face. "I'll risk it." He took a sip and began to look more awake, stretching his neck and rubbing at it with his hand, all the while eying her appreciatively. "You look beautiful today, Mara."

She shook her head at the compliment. She felt anything but beautiful in one of his loose tunics and her stretchy maternity pants. But she did feel accomplished. Awakening early, it was almost as if the aches and pains that had beset her last months of pregnancy were diminished. She felt active and vital in a way she hadn't for many weeks. Taking advantage of that energy, she had folded all of the impossibly tiny clothes the baby would need in her first weeks of life and had put them away. The nursery, a room Mara had never imagined needing in her home, was finally complete.

The once off-white walls were now a vibrant shade of light green. The crib and other furniture was in place and the room pulsed with a sense of peace and serenity. It was hard to imagine that in a few days a whole new little person would occupy that room. A stranger in many ways, but Mara felt she already knew the baby that grew inside of her. The baby was impatient like her father and would kick frantically to say that she was not pleased with the position in which her mother was lying. She was playful and would amuse her father, responding to his voice with jabs and kicks to Mara's abdomen. And she was Force-strong, responding to them both through the Force with a small but definite sense of presence.

The baby was partly Luke, partly Mara, but already wholly herself. That thought was enough to make Mara place her hand on her belly and sigh.

Instantly Luke was on his guard. "What is it? The baby?" He put his mug on the counter and walked to her, placing his hand over hers on her stomach.

"I was just…daydreaming," Mara admitted, embarrassed.

Luke's lips curved in a smile. He used his hold on her hand to tug her back into his arms. "I won't tell if you don't."

His whispered breath on her neck made her shiver pleasantly. She hummed and leaned back into his embrace. Luke reached for her through their ever-strengthening bond. The Force throbbed between them and their baby, binding them in its glow for long moments until Mara's thoughts shifted inward. And that's when she knew. Without a doubt she knew that _this_ was the day. She could see it, could feel it.

This was the day their baby would be born.

She hid a secret smile as she turned to face Luke, and when she looked up into his eyes she realized that he did not know what she knew. He had not been a witness to the revelation. It was mother's intuition, maybe. She debated telling him, but only for a moment as he interrupted her before she could decide.

"Mara…when we bond together like that, I can feel that we'll be together forever." He sighed and leaned his forehead against her temple. "I've asked you this many times. Maybe too many." He laughed faintly before dipping his head and kissing her softly. His voice was husky as he continued. "But I told you that I would keep asking until you were ready…Marry me?"

Pulling back to look into his eyes, Mara knew that she could finally give him the answer he'd been waiting for. The imminent birth of their daughter brought a new perspective to her and _forever_ was no longer an idea that brought her fear. She was ready to give him the answer he wanted to hear. The answer he deserved. The answer she wanted to give. In truth, the answer he already had.

"Yes."

.

.

Luke didn't seem to hear her affirmative response. He nodded just briefly and pulled back from her. "Okay, I'll go and start…"

Mara waited.

Luke stood still, his brow furrowing slightly. "Wait." His eyes darted to hers, searching for an answer. "Did you just… Mara. Did you say 'yes'?"

"Did I?" She couldn't control the smirk on her face. It had a life of its own.

"Mara! Did you or did you not just answer 'yes' to my proposal?"

"I don't know. Did I?" She knew she shouldn't tease him so badly. But it was fun.

"Don't mess with a man that's had to propose…Force, how many times have I proposed?" He stopped and looked as if he were trying to figure the exact number out. He shook his head. "Look, I don't know. This one might be the only important one, anyway. Did you say yes?"

The look on his face was pathetic enough to make her give. "Yes."

But Luke still didn't look quite satisfied. "Yes. You said yes."

"Yes. I said yes. Don't make me regret it!"

The smile that bloomed on his face only verified to her that she never would regret it.

He pulled her close, kissing her softly, whispering what she already knew. "You never will."

Mara smiled into his kiss before pulling back and framing his face in her hands. "I'd better not."

He grinned. "So…when should be plan the big day?

Dropping her hands to her belly, Mara pretended to think it over. "Can we plan it in the next few hours?"

"What?" Luke suddenly looked like he was having trouble keeping up. "The next few hours?"

"Yeah, I'd like to get married today, if possible."

"Today?"

"Is that a problem?" She was ready. She realized that she had spent the last few months getting ready. And now that she was, she didn't want any lapse in time to keep them from marrying.

"Not at all." His grin was somewhat devilish. He started to walk down the hall. "Just...just let me comm Leia."

Mara watched him go, absently making herself a cup of decaf. She sat down to what she realized may be one of the last truly quiet moments of her life. She released a happy breath and shook her head in wonder at all the changes the day before her would soon bring into their lives.

.

.

She didn't have to wonder long because within the hour Leia showed up at their apartment with a couple of dress bags, ready to take charge.

"You," she said to Luke, who stood with hair still wet and spiked from his shower. "Pack up the clothes we discussed and head to my place. Han will meet you there. You, he and Chewie will take the children and meet us at 1400. I've already procured the civil justice you mentioned."

Luke nodded and fell into line, walking off toward their bedroom. Mara felt as if she were seeing one of the reasons the ragtag Rebellion had won the war. Leia truly was a force of to be reckoned with.

"And you," Leia said, walking toward Mara with a narrowed gaze. She gave up the act and grinned. "It's about time!" She pulled her into a hug, awkward with Mara's large belly between them. "What changed your mind?"

Mara shook her head. "It's just—"

"Time," Leia finished. "I'm so happy for you. But _we_ don't have time for this. We need to get you into one of these dresses and get you two married before you have another guest at the ceremony."

.

.

One of the dresses fit and was actually flattering over her huge belly. With a high, choker collar that tied in a ribbon trailing down her partially exposed back, it took the eye from her stomach and made her look almost lean again. The fabric flowed when she walked and also helped to conceal her belly. All in all it was beautiful and functional and something that she might have picked herself, but was very glad that her future sister-in-law had picked in her stead. It was surprisingly comfortable and she wore it from the apartment, en route to the wedding.

Leia drove Mara's speeder as Mara no longer fit behind the wheel, a fact that galled her. But as Leia explained the dress and proceedings and spoke of how the wedding details had been simmering in Luke's mind for months, she didn't mind the break from driving. It gave her time to imagine Luke and Leia planning a wedding that neither was completely sure was going to take place. Between the two of them they had set up a wedding in under three hours. Mara was not surprised that Luke had put so much thought into the wedding, but it touched her to realize that he had always been sure of her.

Leia turned sharply away from the government sector, and Mara grew confused, turning from her thoughts to glance at her. "Where are we going?"

Leia glanced over at her with her infamous 'give me a break' look. "Where do you think?"

"But...It's not ready yet. He doesn't even take possession until tomorrow."

"You know that he wouldn't want your wedding to be anywhere else." Leia smiled gently. "You can't have the man without the Jedi."

Mara nodded. She knew that. And she knew that he wanted their wedding to be in the Jedi Temple. He had told her so himself. She just hadn't imagined that he could pull it off with mere hours to spare. Looking through the window Mara tried to imagine the Temple set up for a wedding. With a civil justice there it wouldn't exactly be a Jedi wedding, if there was even such a thing, but it would be private and meaningful, away from prying eyes. Mara could appreciate Luke for wanting that. In the government offices they would be targets for paparazzi and the anonymity of the surroundings would not have been Luke's style.

As Leia parked the speeder, Mara became aware of Luke's presence, warm and content on the edge of her consciousness. He didn't seem to be nervous, or scared and she smiled slightly. His warmth calmed her, and the baby, quiet for most of the day, moved just slightly as if to remind her mother that she was part of the day, too.

Stepping from the speeder, Mara walked toward her future.

.

.

The walls were clean. That was Mara's first thought upon walking into the Temple. Luke had yet to take physical possession but that had not stopped him and several others from working, cleaning and restoring. He had taken her to the Temple once, almost a year before, and it had been a place of shadows, darkness palpable and clinging. But now she stood in an alcove off a large room, and could see sunlight shining in, making a path on the stone floor. She realized that Luke had been working on this room, and most probably for this purpose. And now they were moments away from marrying in the Temple that he had worked so hard to win back. He had worked hard for everything he had, she realized. Including her.

She took a deep breath and watched Luke, standing on a raised dais with the justice. He was grinning broadly as he awaited her arrival, still without a sign of nervousness or worry in his posture or sense in the Force. Mara smiled inwardly to realize that she felt the same, not awkward or annoyed in the way she might have pictured herself feeling during her own wedding ceremony.

As she waited she could feel the sense of the Temple around her. The peace that she could feel was humbling. The idea that the building could be cleansed of the atrocities that had been committed there was not lost on Mara. She and Luke both had a lot of things in their pasts that they were unable to change, but with the Jedi and their new lives together they had a blank slate, a chance to restore light to the galaxy and not just through the rebuilding of the Temple or the Jedi.

"Your father is rubbing off on me," Mara murmured, sliding a hand over her belly through a fold in her dress.

Leia's hand on her arm caused her to look up. She nodded gratefully at her future sister and stepped out with her into the sunlight flowing through muted windows.

She walked toward Luke, ignoring the knowing grin on Han's face and the twins' excited cries to their mother. All she could feel was the pull that was there between she and Luke and the knowledge that soon they would be a family.

A family of three.

His grin was bright as he took her hand to help her up to stand next to him.

And then they were married.

She didn't remember the specifics, and it was over quickly. She didn't expect to feel any differently after it was over. The love that she felt for him was as abiding as it had been on the night she had awakened him to tell him that she was pregnant. But there was a sense of togetherness that was different, new, as they kissed and then turned to face their small audience. She didn't wonder why she had put the marriage off for so long, because she suspected she needed that time to become accustomed to the idea. It finally felt right.

They were husband and wife. Soon to be mother and father. And Mara couldn't help but wonder, through the haze of joy that permeated her soul, how she came to be standing there with not only her husband, but with her family.

.

.

After a celebratory dinner at the Solos' Mara was exhausted. Her back was throbbing and her ankles were swollen. She settled gratefully down onto the sofa in her living room and noticed Luke smiling softly down at her. "What?"

"You're beautiful, Mrs. Skywalker."

"Ugh." Mara dropped her head back against the couch. "Really?"

"Really," he confirmed, coming to sit beside her. "You've looked gorgeous all day. I like this dress." He toyed with the choker collar, rubbing his thumb lightly against her neck.

Mara managed to smile through a wave of back pain. It eased consistently as it had for the past hour. Leaning over, she kissed his chin. "I'm thrilled that you still want me even when I look like an overripe melon."

"I'll always want you." He kissed her softly. "Always. Besides, I _like_ melon."

She scoffed but leaned into his kiss, only to shift uncomfortably as her back pain returned.

This time he noticed and frowned slightly. "Are you tired? You've been on your feet too much today. Let's get this dress off and get you into bed."

Mara smirked. "You're just trying to get me undressed, Skywalker. I see through that Farmboy routine."

"You caught me." He grinned and stood, holding out both hands to help her up. "Come on."

She wanted to protest that she didn't need his help, but being overly top-heavy made it easier to take the helping hand. He helped her up and she gasped as an intense pain ripped across her back making her stomach contract. She moaned and grabbed her belly, breathing through the contraction, harder and faster than the ones that had come before.

"Mara?" Luke's eyes were huge, panicked.

Taking a deep breath, she looked into his eyes, trying to tamp down her own rising fear as she revealed her secret. "I think I am going to have to take this dress off."

"Why?"

The question was automatic, she knew. She could see from his face that he knew exactly why. "Because our daughter is on her way."


	9. Interlude: Birth

_Those of you who have read 'Echoes of Always' will recognize the middle of this little interlude as EoA's Interlude 1: Birth. While writing 200 I didn't think I was going to include this since so many had already read it. But since 200 can actually stand alone, and I wanted people to know the story of it, I added a 'beginning' and an 'ending' to complete it a bit more. Too, I wanted to see Han and Leia with their niece. Obviously, when I wrote the bulk of this interlude three years ago I had no idea I would be writing 200, so there is no proposal in this 'chapter'. I debated rewriting completely, but I like the way this interlude flowed with the rest of EoA so I'm leaving it alone. I hope you'll enjoy! _

_**Interlude: Birth**_

Mara had packed a bag weeks ago and left it sitting just inside the closet in their bedroom. Luke had it in his hands and was back in front of her before she could barely blink. "Got the bag! Let's go!" He started to grab her hand. "Wait, you wanted to change."

She looked down at her beautiful gown and nodded, holding onto her stomach as another contraction tightened it. She breathed through it, trying to remember the droid's instructions from the birthing class they had taken a few weeks before. "I will. Just…help me … I'll do it here. Just go and get me something to wear."

Again, he was gone only for a second, running back down the hall with a pair of stretchy maternity pants and one of his large tunics. "This okay?"

She took them without a word, merely turning to show him her back in an unspoken request for help in removing the hands swiftly untied the bow and lowered the zipper until the dress dropped, hanging on her stomach until she pushed it off to pool at her feet. "Sorry that couldn't be sexier, Skywalker." She picked up his tunic to shrug over her head.

He laughed, but it was a weak laugh, full of nervous expectation. "You ready?"

She pulled up the pants and stepped back into her shoes. "Ready," she confirmed, pitching forward toward the door.

Luke lugged the bag and came behind her, stepping out into the hallway. "When we come back, we'll be three."

Mara turned to catch a glimpse of her silent apartment, just as the door slid closed. "Ready or not," she murmured, taking his hand for the walk to the speeder.

.

.

"This is not how I expected to spend our wedding night, Skywalker," Mara grunted, settled now into her hospital bed. She rose up on her elbows, gasping for breath as the contraction eased.

Luke wiped a damp cloth across her brow, removing the accumulated sweat. "Hey, don't look at me. If I'd had my way we would have been married months ago."

"Don't start with me." Mara pushed his hand away, but there was a half-smile on her lips. "I just didn't want to get married while I was still pregnant." She picked up a cup of ice chips and spooned a few into her mouth.

"Looks like we should have waited until tomorrow…" Luke grinned innocently at her, dodging a barrage of ice as it flew at him.

"Cute, Skywalker," she began, her new last name drawing out into a little scream as the next contraction ripped through her body. She pushed back against the pillows again, placing a hand on her belly and rubbing. She reached out with the Force to the unborn baby, soothing her as she had done in the past. Mara bit her lip against a smile as Luke lent his own love and support to his wife and unborn daughter. "I think," she began, expelling a gasping breath, "that _she _couldn't take your constant nagging any longer and decided to come on out so we could get married."

"Nah. She just wanted to celebrate with us." He leaned in and kissed Mara's cheek, his hand resting lightly on the swell of her stomach.

"Yeah." Her voice was thick and she cleared her throat. She grabbed his hand and squeezed.

"Any minute now…" She bit off a moan of pain as the MD Droid came into the room.

"Looks like you're ready to push, Mrs. Skywalker…"

.

.

"She's… Stars, Mara, you're amazing! She's almost here!" Luke said, encouraging Mara as she pushed.

"I can feel it, Skywalker," she ground out between her teeth. "Now, shut up and let me…" She trailed off in a screaming moan.

The MD droid uttered a soothing tone. Mara just growled at it, straining forward in her stirrups, hands digging into her own thighs. Luke climbed into the bed and supported her back, allowing her to fall against him as the pain became too much for her. He kissed her temple as she gasped for breath. "You're amazing," he murmured.

The droid counted to ten and Mara reared back up, straining again, Luke's comforting presence behind her spurring her through the pain. She grunted and everything seemed to go silent for a moment as the new life came into the world.

.

.

"She's beautiful," Luke whispered, looking at the tiny miracle in a pink blanket wrapped in Mara's arms.

Mara smiled, a true smile that revealed the tiny dimple in her left cheek. "She is."

The baby had Luke's hair, fine and baby blonde, curling in tiny wisps about her ears. She was small and delicate and smelled so sweet. She had scratched her own cheek after delivery when she'd been taken by the droid to be weighed and measured. Luke's eyes watered when he saw the mark, so upset to see an injury on his daughter so soon after her birth.

But time in her mother's arms and at her breast had soothed their daughter and now she looked at them sleepily. Her big eyes were still blue, but somehow Luke knew that they would change to the same clear green as her mother's.

"We still need a name," Mara said, also sleepy, her voice thin and quiet in the darkened hospital room.

"Well, I thought of one," he said. "It means gift…and she is a gift to me, Mara, just like you are."

"So sappy, Skywalker," she cut in, but squashed a happy smile. "What is it?"

"Betrys. Betrys Jade Skywalker," he said, running a soft finger over the baby's delicate cheek.

"Yes," Mara agreed, leaning against him, and closing her eyes. "That's her name."

Luke held his new family in his arms and smiled.

He had never been happier.

.

.

"Let's see her, Kid," Han said, pushing open the door after a perfunctory knock. "I can't keep Her Highnesses out of here any longer. Left Chewie home with the kids since they're too young to visit."

"Move it, Nerf Herder!" Leia pushed around him and came in, looking at Mara with a bright grin. "Are you okay, Mara? How did it go? And," she gasped, looking down at Baby Betrys. "There she is!"

"Those powers of observation never cease to amaze me." Han playfully rolled his eyes at his wife, but Leia wasn't paying attention as she looked at the baby.

Mara tried to hide a smirk. "Would you like to hold her, _Aunt_ Leia?"

"I'm an aunt! Oh, I never thought I would be!" She held her arms out for Betrys.

Han snorted at Luke's red face. He threw his arm around him and slapped his shoulder. "I had faith in you, Kid." He grinned at Mara. "Especially after this one entered the picture."

"Oh, sure," Mara said, somewhat distracted as she eyed Leia with the baby. "I had him in my blaster sights and you knew it was true love."

"So she admits it finally." Han grinned. "Took ya long enough, _Mrs. Skywalker._" Off Mara's eye roll, he smirked. "And maybe not that far back. But around the time your Headhunter exploded into the _Judicator_-"

"Around that time what?" Mara looked away from Leia and the baby, truly interested. Leia wasn't paying any of them any attention, too busy cooing over her niece.

"Ah, just looked like Junior here had lost his best friend when that happened."

Mara opened her mouth, but closed it, uncharacteristically without a comeback. She turned her head to follow Leia's steps with the baby instead.

"Stop teasing them, Han," Leia said, sidling up to him. "And hold your niece."

Han took the infant into his arms. He began to rock with her, ever so slightly from side to side. "She looks a bit like Anakin did." He looked at Luke. "What's her name, Kid?"

Mara answered. "Betrys."

"Hi, Bets," he said quietly, smoothing a hand over her head. She stirred, mouth opening and closing with tiny smacks. "You're not so bad, Kidlet. Just don't let these two screw you up too much."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Old Buddy." Luke grinned, leaning over Han's arm to brush his fingers over Betrys's cheek. "She's perfect as is."

"Wait til she's screaming for you at 0300, Kid." But Han smirked again, handing the precious bundle over to her anxious mother. "Looked like you were missing something."

Mara rolled her eyes, but took the baby and kissed her forehead. "Cute."

"Yeah," Han said. "You're right. She is pretty cute."

Leia laughed and wrapped her arm around Luke. "I'm so happy for you. Betrys is beautiful."

"And legal," Han said. "Don't forget that. I was at the wedding and can vouch for the lil' tyke."

Luke groaned. "We're never going to live this down, Mara."

"That's the way of it in families." Leia smiled at Mara and her niece. "Better get used to it."

Holding her new daughter, Mara couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her face. Family. She was beginning to think that she could get used to it.


	10. Epilogue

_Thank you all so much for reading this little ficlet. Much thanks to __**Taramidala, Salanderjade, RaRobin**__ and __**JediMara77**__ for all of their help with this story. Thank you all for reading and if you'd like to see the fate of Luke, Mara, and Betrys you can read "_Echoes of Always_", otherwise just end here on this happy family moment.  
_

**EPILOGUE**

_**The 200th**_  
_Day 3, after-birth: _  
_This week, reality sets in — you have a baby! She's all yours, she's home with you, and she's dependent on you for love, care, and feeding._

The baby was impossibly tiny. Everything about her was miniature from her teeny fingers to her even smaller toes. When her eyes were closed and her lashes fanned out on her cheeks she looked so fragile and precious, sweet and quiet. But deceptive looks came in small packages because when those eyes would snap open she would open her mouth and let loose a cry that could force a grown man to snap to attention, drop whatever it was he had been doing, and run to her side.

Betrys Skywalker already had her father wrapped around one of her delicate little fingers.

Only three days old she seemed to know that she was the center of attention, and she demanded it lustily, crying out for it in a way that seemed much too loud for the little body that created the noise. But she was a benevolent dictator because just when her exhausted parents were ready to give up, she would open her big eyes and stare at them with her little scrunched face and make them remember all over again why they had fallen in love with her in the minutes after her birth.

Mara looked down at the baby lying contentedly in her arms, satiated for once. But though she knew that wouldn't last for long and she should try to get some sleep, she couldn't help but sit and look down at the baby that had so changed her life. Trailing the back of her fingers across Betrys's cheek, she marveled at the silky soft feeling of her skin and thought back to the night she had discovered her pregnancy. "We've come so far since then, Betrys," she whispered.

"What about me?"

Mara looked up into Luke's smiling face. He was still grinning, much as he had been for the last three days. For the last nine months, actually. Lack of sleep didn't seem to stop him. If anything he was willing to let her sleep as much as she could, eager to spend time with his daughter. She pursed her lips. "I think you were ready for all of this on day one." She purposefully moved her ringed hand to splay across the baby's tummy.

"Maybe not day one, but definitely after that first real proposal," he teased, sitting next to her and putting an arm around her.

"I think that was the only one that really counted."

"You're saying that I could have saved my breath the other one hundred ninety-eight times?" Luke shook his head and looked down at the sleeping baby. "_Now_ she tells me!"

"Only one hundred ninety-nine proposals? It felt like a lot more than that." Mara playfully rolled her eyes and shifted so that Betrys was lying in the crook of her arm. She leaned against Luke's arm.

"Hm. Cute." He touched his forehead to her temple and placed a hand on the baby's head, gently rubbing her blonde hair. "I actually have one more proposal for you."

"Of course you do. Two-hundred proposals? What is it this time? That I don't kill you?"

Pulling back, Luke made a face at her.

Mara propped her head back against him and smirked up at him. "Or that I have your baby?"

"Been there, done that." Luke's voice was dry.

"Is it that you'll change all the dirty diapers for the next few years? I won't hesitate to say 'yes' to that."

Luke exhaled an amused puff of breath. "Ha-Ha. That humor really comes out when you haven't slept for a few days, doesn't it?"

Mara rolled her eyes again. "It can't be another marriage proposal…"

"I think we can count marriage as another 'been there, done that' moment. It is, after all, our three day anniversary." He kissed her forehead and pulled her and Betrys even closer. "But my two hundredth proposal is even more important that that. Mara, I propose that that we—you, Bets, and me—that we be a happy family."

Throat closing with emotion, Mara struggled for a moment to gain her composure. She wanted that, too. More than even she had ever known. She closed her eyes only to have an image of another baby flash into her mind's eye, a redhead this time, a redheaded baby she somehow knew to be a boy. Her arms reflexively grasped Betrys, imagining that one day she would be a big sister. But as she opened her eyes she realized that was only a tantalizing glimpse of a possible future and the present was there in her arms. Holding her small family close, she answered this proposal without hesitation.

"Yes," she said. "We are and we will be a happy family. Ever and always."


End file.
